


Infinite's storm

by Archraven



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Gen, OT7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-03-17 14:16:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 45,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3532430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archraven/pseuds/Archraven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sungjong's deepest secret is exposed by the press, Infinite find themselves drowning in a battle to protect not just their maknae's image, but also his life. An ot7 fic about pain, sacrifice and how to tightly hold on to someone you love</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 - Sungjong

**Author's Note:**

> "In hindsight, Sungjong should have seen it coming. It hurts, hard and exacting like a fist to the gut.  
> Only this time, he's not just one.  
> He's one of seven.  
> And when he goes down,  
> ...he takes all of them with him."

 

Sungjong smiled at his reflection at the mirror, ignoring the playful scoff his makeup artist made. He looked good, though he did say so himself. Their new concept demanded a more bubbly appearance and with his slightly longer caramel hair and bright clothes, he fitted the concept to a boot.

“Hey! What’re you doing staring in the mirror? Hyung looks better you know!”

  
A hand clamped onto his shoulder as another hand started tickling his stomach. Sungjong shrieked in protest and tried to wriggle away, almost swatting the makeup artist in the face. He couldn’t stop the giggles that bubbled up in him as he tried to dislodge the devilish hands.

  
“Woohyun ah! Let Sungjong go! You’re going to mess up his make up.”

  
The Leader’s voice rang out and Sungjong sighed in relief as the pressure on his shoulder disappeared. He swivelled around to glare at his mischievously grinning hyung.

  
“Aigoo, our Sungjongie’s annoyed,” said Woohyun. He wriggled his fingers threateningly. “Would you like hyung to cheer you up?”

  
“Ah hyung, leave me alone. I need to finish my makeup!” Sungjong cursed at how Woohyun was always the first to get ready. “Or I’ll tell Sunggyu hyung!”

  
Woohyun pouted and Sungjong saw him glance over to where their Leader was absorbed in a conversation with Super Junior’s Shindong. Sunggyu was laughing at something Shindong said, his face looking lighter than it ever had during any of their previous comebacks.

  
Of course, with this being their seventh comeback, the nerves that had constantly hounded them during “Dashidorawa” were long gone. Now they had the support of their ever growing fans, huge businesses and their company’s influence. It was strange to think that a few years ago, they were begging for the chance to even appear on a variety.

  
“Get ready quickly then! If you force the mirror to see you face any longer – it’ll break!” Woohyun tapped Sungjong’s nose. He seemed about to say more – presumably something that would make Sungjong want to hit him – when Dongwoo’s loud voice resounded throughout the dressing room, prompting Woohyun to go bound over to his usual partner in crime. A few seconds later, Woohyun’s laughter rang out in time with Dongwoo’s. Sungjong shook his head fondly. He sat back in his seat and allowed the artist to continue doing his face.

“Woohyun hyung’s in a good mood,” a deep voice sounded from the chair next to him.

  
“Aren’t we all?” Sungjong asked and Hoya grinned back. There’d been questions as to whether the new fresh and bubbly concept would suit Hoya, but looking at the boy now, Sungjong had to say it definitely did. Hoya’s hair was stylishly ruffled and he was smiling wide enough to show the dimples in his cheeks. His shoulders were relaxed – finally free of the burden he always seemed to carry before.

  
Lightness hung in the air. The fact that their music video had already hit a million views despite being released just last midnight, the fact that they could hear the fans chanting their band’s name in the distance, the fact that this was fresh off yet another successful concert tour they did last month. The future looked bright, Sungjong concluded, and he couldn’t wait for their Music Bank stage.

  
Just another hour and he’d be singing to the fans alongside his stage brothers.

  
And was there ever anything that could make him happier?

* * *

  
His makeup finished just as Jungryul manager told them to get outside for a mini interview. Sungjong hurried out but was significantly slowed down when Myungsoo enveloped him into a tight back hug.

“Sleepy,” Myungsoo muttered, leaning his forehead against Sungjong’s shoulder.

“Better not let Gyu hyung catch you yawning,” Sungjong whispered back, dislodging Myungsoo as he bowed to some MBLANQ members walking by. “He’d call us into his room again for another lecture.”

Myungso made a high pitched non committal sound before shaking his head vigorously. Sungjong suppressed a giggle. The sight was endearing, despite Myungsoo’s weirdness, which Sungjong was all too well acquainted to by now.

He was disappointed to see that the interviewer was Kim Gura. The man did not like him, Sungjong was sure. Ever since his girl group dance challenge where he lay down on Gura’s table, the man had never shied away from putting in a cutting comment about him.

“Here we have Infinite!” Gura yelled, putting a familiar arm around Dongwoo’s shoulder.

“Annyohaessayo, we are Infinite!” Sungjong bowed in time with the members, making sure to grin brightly at the camera first. He noticed the other idol boy group standing by the side, presumably already having been interviewed by Gura.

“Hunters” was the group’s name. A new group released by SM only a month ago.

“You have a new song today. What’s it about?” Gura asked.

“Our new song is called “Your Smile” and is coming out tomorrow,” Sunggyu started off the introduction energetically. “It’s about us trying to cheer up the person we love and wanting them to smile honestly and brightly! We hope that everyone will show it a lot of love!”

Sungjong found his attention drifting though he made sure to keep his smiling mask firmly in place and nodded every time the other members did. It was rare that he got to speak in group interviews such as these, especially if someone like Gura headed the interview. And as Hoya demonstrated the point dance of the song, Sungjong’s gaze wandered and landed on the new idol group.

Hunters...Sungjong remembered watching the Weekly Idol episode Hunters had appeared in – supposedly the name was to signify that the group was hunting for success and perfection all the time. It was still a strange name, Sungjong mused, though no stranger than the groups made up of random alphabet letters he supposed.

And looking at the seven Hunter members, fresh faced and thirst for success clear in their eyes...Sungjong could understand the concerns Sunggyu had vocalised a few days ago. The group was on the whole younger, fresher faced and their growing reputation of synchronization did leave a bitter taste in his mouth. Infinite was known for their synchronization. It wouldn’t do for a new group to come and grab their title.

A slight pinch to Sungjong’s side had him straightening his back instantly, though he made sure to retaliate, resulting in Sungyeol’s snigger quickly changing into a sharp gasp.

“Okay, the first challenge!” Gura waved a pack of cards. “Which group can get ten post stick notes from one side to the other using only your mouths.”  
Sungjong resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They’d done this before on Weekly Idol – with a nonchalance that had surprised both MCs. But really, what was there to be embarrassed about. They were Infinite. They’d shared blood, sweat and tears together for so many years to get to where they finally were. Passing a card from mouth to mouth was nothing, and Sungjong caught himself from smirking at the discomfort clearly written on Hunters’ faces.

“Ah wait a minute, what will we get if we win?” Sunggyu asked with mock seriousness.

“Hyung, then you get the pride of winning!” Woohyun swatted at Sunggyu’s arm.

“What’s wrong with you, hyung?” Hoya added. “This is a matter of our group’s dignity.”

“Yeah, hyung, how could you think of a prize at a time like this!” Sungjong added, laughing as Sunggyu raised his hands in defeat. The bullied Leader was a concept that the fans never tired of, and truthfully, Sungjong thought he could get used to it for a long time to come.

They subtly arranged themselves in their couples order, with Myungsoo in the middle of Sungyeol and Sungjong at the end of the lineup. Sungjong picked a card from the plate and sucked its middle into his mouth before turning to the side, ready to begin and trying to fight the giggles at the sight of Myungsoo waiting for the card cross eyed. Gura and Sunggyu exchanged some banter before Gura raised the flag up –

“Stop!”

Sungjong let the card in his mouth fall to the ground as he turned to see manager Youngjun racing towards them before coming to a breathless stop.

“Infinite....” he gasped in some air. “You’re performing now.”

Sunggyu stepped forward out of the camera’s range to whisper, “But hyung, we’re supposed to be on after F(X) and they’re not even on yet – “

“Now, Sunggyu!” Youngjun yelled and Sungjong shrunk behind Myungsoo at the coldness in Youngwon’s voice. Though shortly tempered, the manager was usually one of the kindest, with a soft spot towards Sunggyu that the other members usually teased about.

Sunggyu was open mouthed for a full second before he seemed to recover himself. He bowed slightly to the manager and fully towards Gura.

“Sorry Mr Gura, we have to be going now...” Sunggyu jerked his head to the other members before heading towards the staircase leading to the stage, where crew members were waiting with earpieces and mics. They were fitted within half a minute before ascending the stairs leading to the stage.

A prickling started at the back of Sungjong’s neck and on the last step before the stage, he turned to see manager Youngjun staring right at him. Sungjong’s breath caught in his throat, cold sweat suddenly prickling at his skin. He furrowed his eyebrows at the manager, trying to ask an invisible question but the curtains were quickly drawn and Sungjong was suddenly in front of the mass of chanting fans. In – fi – nite! In – fi – nite! In – fi – nite!

Sungjong adjusted his mic with shaking hands, wishing he could have a drink of water to counter the sudden dryness in his mouth. Running on auto instincts, he took his position. The music started. And Sungjong started to dance.

“I know it’s hard,

It feels like the world is crumbling down,

But I’m right here beside you,

So my love smile, please”

But Sungjong couldn’t smile properly, no matter how hard he tried. Youngjun’s face kept pushing the forefront of his mind, building a lump of dread to building heavily in his stomach and causing his voice to falter.

Because in the last eight years that he’d know the manager.

Never before had Sungjong seen him look so utterly horrified.

“I won’t let go of your hand,

I won’t leave you behind,

So my love, don’t frown so hard,

Just smile, please smile”

Was it his fault? Did he do something to put that look of horror on the manager’s face? To schedule Infinite for an earlier performace?

Sungjong found himself wishing that the song would never end, that their stage would never end. That he could keep dancing and singing with the members for infinity. His instincts had never proved him wrong before – when he decided to be a Woolim trainee, when he was told he was joining a group of six boys, when he signed the final contract. No. His instincts had never been wrong before and now, every single one of them was screaming that something bad was going to happen.

Dongwoo began the last rap, swatting Sungjong’s butt as he confidently sidled by. It was probably a cue for Sungjong to smile more, but Sungjong couldn’t. And as he passed Sunggyu and Woohyun, he saw that their smiles were fixed too.

So they’d noticed what he’d noticed.

The change had happened gradually but it was definitely there. The fans who’d been roaring at the start of their songs had slowly grown quieter. Some of them were whispering amongst each other, some were reading their phones with shocked eyes, some wearing other idol groups’ logos were starting to laugh derisively. Sungjong caught a fan’s eye and the look of apprehension she sent him made the knot of dread in his gut tighten.

The stage finally ended, and instead of applause, they were greeted with a shocked silence. Sungjong felt tears sting his eyes as he bowed and left with the other members. This was not supposed to be what happened. The new song had been to commemorate fans, get the fans to share in their joy and love. But instead...

“Infinite, please leave the stage.” A female voice spoke through their earpieces.

Sungjong hesistated. A strange part of him wanted to yank the microphone from Woohyun’s hand and ask the fans what was the matter. But he quelled the urge and followed his hyungs out silently to backstage.

“What was that?” Sungyeol mumbled. “Some of them looked angry at us.”

The butterflies in Sungjong’s stomach had turned to snakes and he felt as though he was going to throw up. Something had happened. Something had happened and it was his fault, though he didn’t have any idea what he’d done.

“Quiet,” said Sunggyu. His face was carefully composed to be blank of emotions. “Walk quickly. Get to our dressing room. Now.”

The urgency in Sunggyu’s voice scared Sungjong somewhat and he quickened his steps. He followed behind Sungyeol, who seemed to sense his fear and pulled him closer to his side.

The openly hostile stares of the backstage crew send alarms off in Sungjong’s head. A Big Bang’s member walked past, giving them a wide berth and ignoring Sunggyu’s quick bow. All around them, Sungjong spied looks of the disbelief and disgust and heard snide mutterings. One of Hunter’s members lounging against the wall sent Sungjong a wide smirk that caused his heart rate to quicken.

After what felt like a lifetime, they reached the dressing room. Inside, the managers were waiting, faces white and pinched. The makeup crew were sat around the room, some playing with their hands, and most with their heads bowed. Sungjong spotted his makeup noona but she refused to meet his eyes.

“Hyung,” Woohyun ventured as Hoya barred the door behind them. “What’s going on?”

Hyoan and Jungryoul managers had their heads bowed and it was Youngjun who silently walked up to Sungjong and handed him a newspaper. Sungjong took hold of it with trembling hands. He didn’t dare look down and instead tried to gain a clue from the manager’s face. He must have looked a pitiable sight. But Youngjun’s face did not soften.

“Read it,” he ordered.

Sungjong swallowed hard and looked down. It took him a while to focus on the words and picture, but he finally read it.

No.

Sungjong stared at the big picture, willing his eyes to be playing tricks on him, willing it all to just be a dream. But it was real. It was all real, from the gasps of the members around him, to the bang of a chair being thrown at the wall by the manager, to the faintness that hit him.

No, no, no, no, no, no –

He stared at the picture of him (a lifetime ago in his high school uniform, years and years ago) gently cradling another boy’s head as they kissed (and he can still remember the warmth of the kiss, the tingling that lasted for hours later). He stared at the heading and really, he should have seen this coming. He should have known that the happiness that always left him so full of wonder would never have lasted. He should have known.

> “Infinite’s GAY member Sungjong finally found out!”


	2. Sungyeol

Sungyeol wondered if Sungjong would even be able to read the paper’s headlines with his hands trembling so much. Taking advantage of his height, he peered over Sungjong’s shoulder. Exactly what had shaken everyone so much? Surely nothing could be more important than their new MV?

Sungyeol’s first impulse was to laugh at the bowlcut hairstyle Sungjong sported in the photo. Despite the high school uniform, Sungjong looked like he still belonged to middle school. The other face of the other boy in the picture couldn’t really be seen, but Sungjong’s face was completely clear.

“Yah...this must be photoshopped,” Sungyeol said with a nervous laugh. “Right, Sungjong ah?”

Sungjong didn’t say anything but his shaky breathing and alarmed wide eyes confirmed the opposite and Sungyeol felt as though someone had thrown a bucket of ice over him. Sunggyu grabbed the paper from Sungjong’s hands, his eyes opening wide as he read the article with the other older members.

“Yah, Sungjong ah! What is this?” Woohyun’s face twisted into one of outrage.

“Jongie – how? What? Why? I don’t – what? ” A stream of unintelligible words came from Dongwoo’s mouth, the shock making him even harder to understand than usual.

 “Yah! Are you even listening to me?” Woohyun strode to Sungjong and shook him by the shoulders. “Yah!”

“We don’t have time for this,” Youngjun interrupted, moving Woohyun away from Sungjong. “You seven need to go. Now. I’ll drive you all back to the flat. The other managers and the team will go back to the Headquarters later.”

“But what about the awards finale – “

“Hoya, letting you go back onto the stage now would be a massacre. The reporters are swarming outside. They’re out for blood.”

Sungyeol could only stare at the newspaper clenched in Sunggyu’s hands. Sungjong was gay? It didn’t feel as big a shock as it should be but at the same time to find out so suddenly...and through the newspapers as well...How was this going to impact Infinite? How many fans were going to leave them? What were they going to do?

Anger welled up in him. He glared at Sungjong but the sight of the boy standing alone with his head bowed and little trembles wracking his body swept his anger away as quickly as it came, leaving Sungyeol with the blended mix of confusion and fear for what was to happen next.

 

* * *

 

Sungyeol felt as though he couldn’t breathe as he walked through the corridor. His face burned at the whispers that instantly surrounded them. He stuck close to Sungjong, unsure as to whether he was mad at the youngest or not, but just sure that Sungjong look as though he would faint at any second and if he did, Sungyeol had to be there to catch him.

Other groups’ idols had been lounging around but their conversations instantly stopped as soon as they saw Infinite. Sungyeol noticed the phones in their hands and the answer was obvious as to what picture was being displayed on the screens. He tried to smile at some of his friends but their attentions were fixed on Sungjong.

 They were just reaching the more empty corridors when a tall man with greying hair and a hook like nose came rushing towards them. Sungyeol recognised him instantly. EXO’s manager, Jungsu. Behind Jungsu were a few more of SM managers, their faces set grimly.

“Manager – nim,” Sungyeol muttered as he bowed with the rest of the group. He had seen the EXO manager plenty of times before, even joked with him occasionally at the Idol Olympics. But there was a new glint in Jungsu’s eyes that sent chills down Sungyeol’s spine.

“Sungjong – shi comes with us,” Jungsu spoke directly to Youngjun manager. “The CEO wants to see him.”

Sungyeol felt Woohyun stiffen instantly, even as his thoughts collided into a jumble. Why on Earth was SM’s CEO asking to see Sungjong? He looked at Youngjun’s face for answers but was instead surprised at the guardedness in his manager’s jaw.

“Hyung, we were just on the way to see Woolim’s CEO,” Youngjun said politely. “I’m sure we can arrange a meeting with SM’s CEO sometime soon.”

Jungsu laughed and the bitterness in it made Sungyeol shift closer to Sungjong. “Sometime soon? You think this is a small matter that’s going to settle down by tonight? Matters involving...dirt like this needs to be dealt with.”

Sungyeol looked up sharply, hackles raised at the old man’s reference to Sungjong. _Dirt?_ He opened his mouth furiously when a warm hand coiled around his wrist and squeezed with a firmness that left Sungyeol with no doubt as to whose hand it was. He breathed heavily and taking note of Sunggyu’s signal, clamped his mouth shut. A glance to the side showed the Leader watching the manager’s altercation with a blank face.

“We need to congregate at Woolim and have a meeting of our own first, hyung,” Youngjun said carefully. “Then, we can discuss matters with SM.”

Jungsu clenched his jaw. “Like it or not, the merger between Woolim and SM is affected by this perversion too. Your CEO has been contacted and he is being driven to SM’s headquarters to discuss too.”

Sungyeol bit his tongue so hard, he wouldn’t be surprised if blood started leaking out. Perversion? Sungjong - the purest, most innocent boy he knew - a _perversion_? He stared at Jungsu manager, biting back the curses in his head, _Who are you calling a perversion, old man? I saw those nude magazine you had inside your jacket during the festival, you no good hypocritical frog-faced –_

“Lee Sungjong, come here,” Jungsu said and Sungyeol was alarmed to see his own Youngjun manager resignedly nodding for Sungjong to go.

“Jungyeop sasagnim will be there,” said Youngjun and Jungsu moved forward determinedly.

Sungyeol griped Sungjong’s wrist in an instant and out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Myungsoo subtly do the same. In front of them, Woohyun, Dongwoo and Hoya seemed to have moved to stand in front of Infinite’s three youngest, as though they were a battlefield shield.

A headache was building up behind Sungyeol’s temples at the absurdity that seemed to have befallen the group within the hour. He didn’t know what to think. But if there was one thing he was sure of, there was no way he was going to let his youngest dongsaeng go with a bunch of people currently looking at him as though he was nothing more than a piece of gum at the bottom of their shoe.

“Let’s go,” Jungsu repeated with an undercurrent of anger in his voice. Sungjong didn’t react, standing as though he was a statue despite the fact that Sungyeol was probably squeezing his hand so tightly that it had to hurt.

“No.”

Sungyeol startled at the calm voice that sounded near his ear. He turned his head to stare at Sunggyu, who was gazing directly at Jungsu. The Leader smiled – only it wasn’t the warm, affectionate smile that usually creased his eyes and brightened his face. It wasn’t even the smug, arrogant smile that he sometimes wore when he won something. Instead, it was what Sungyeol usually referred to as a cold smile; one Sungyeol was used to seeing when a journalist asked pointedly troublesome questions. A smile reserved for the enemy.

“Sorry, hyungnim, but Sungjong is too shocked right now to go to a meeting. I will go in his place.”

Sungyeol would have sighed in relief if he didn’t feel as though the tense atmosphere was suffocating him.

“The CEO asked for Sungjong,” Jungsu bit out. Sunggyu’s politeness probably annoyed him even more.  

“As Infinite’s Leader, I represent every member,” Sunggyu replied and he walked forward purposefully as though that solved the matter entirely.

Jungsu glared for a few seconds and with another glance at the human shield around Sungjong, he snorted. “Why am I not surprised that a group with this sort of scandal is so troublesome? Fine. Let’s go.”

With that he grabbed hold of Sunggyu’s upper arm -  Sungyeol having to grit his teeth as he saw Sunggyu’ fleeting wince at the sudden grab – before marching down the left corridor, as though he was a prison warden hurrying a prisoner. Presumably, they were going to go through a quieter route where no press people were present.

Silence reigned among them for a few seconds. Sungyeol was the first to move. He let go of Sungjong’s wrist and bounded forward, eager to get to the shelter of their car where he wouldn’t have to listen to the malicious whispers surrounding him. It was going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine. Their Leader would have a meeting with Jungyeop CEO and SM’s dictator, and they’ll come up with something that should make this scandal rubbish die down.

“Come on guys!” Sungyeol turned to see why the others weren’t following. The first thing he saw was Woohyun staring at Sunggyu’s retreating back with clenched fists and a fearful expression on his face. Sungyeol frowned confusedly but his questions were dismissed as the manager, prompted by Sungyeol’s actions, hurried them forwards. 

They went down a series of empty corridors before arriving in the parking space behind. Sungyeol was relieved to see that there were no reporters or fans around. They all got into the car, the absence of their leader highlighted by the empty front seat by the driver. Sungyeol sat at the very back, guiding Sungjong and Myungsoo to sit next to him.  

The car ride was one of the quietest journeys Sungyeol could recall. No one spoke, not even manager Youngjun, who concentrated on manoeuvring through a huge traffic jam. Sungyeol fidgeted endlessly with his seatbelt. He hated the silence. Even when the members were asleep, he’d hear Myungsoo’s sleep talking or Dongwoo’s occasional snigger. Or the music emitting from someone’s headphones.

Sungyeol kept sneaking glances at Sungjong, who seemed to have glued his eyes to the car’s floor. Sungyeol caught Myungsoo’s eye and hated the helplessness he felt at the redness in the younger boy’s eyes. 

What was going to happen? Sungyeol sighed and closed his eyes, the events so far seeming to have sapped at his energy.

Soon enough, sleep came. And Sungyeol couldn’t be more grateful.

 

* * *

 

He was eventually shaken awake by Woohyun, who pulled him out of the car. The sky was dark with the stars out, and a glance at his watch showed the time to be nine at night. The ride home had taken three hours, Sungyeol realised blearily. He dimly realised that the manager must have taken much longer routes to avoid tailing reporters cars.

The walk to their flat was blurred by the aftermath of his sleep but he was very aware of the reporters being held at bay by the apartment’s security. He looked around for Sungjong but Hoya already had him under his arm, shielding him from the reporters’ cameras.

They reached their flat in record time. It was a new flat, twice as big as the one they used to have, which meant that all the members could live together and still have their own bedrooms. Sungyeol opened the door and they all trailed inside. Sungjong went straight to his room, while everyone else stood around in the living room, waiting for instructions from the manager.

Youngjun looked at them before sighing and looking away. “Kids...just stay here, okay? Don’t go out and don’t go near windows. Try not to go on the Internet. Just stay safe here. I’ll bring Sunggyu here as soon as I can.”

Before they could say anything, he was gone.

Sungyeol sank onto the sofa with a loud groan. He stretched his sore limbs, muscles aching from the days and weeks of dancing practice they had done for this comeback. And for what? The fans hadn’t even seemed to care today.

“Argh, this is so frustrating!” he moaned. He felt the seat sink as Myungsoo sat cross legged next to him.

“Hyung,” Myungsoo looked at Woohyun. “Hyung, what do we do?”

Woohyun clenched his jaw, his eyes steely as he stared at a picture of them hanging on the wall. Seconds ticked by before he was striding towards Sungjong’s room and battering at the door.

“Sungjong ah! Open up!” Woohyun yelled.

There was no response and Woohyun uttered a curse before trying the door handle. It was locked.

“Leave him,” Hoya said. “He probably wants to be alone.” Sungyeol’s heart dropped to see the tiredness already marking Hoya’s face; a far cry from the beaming bright eyed boy in the morning.

Woohyun cursed again before aiming a kick at the door that made it smash open. Ignoring the startled yells from Sungyeol and Myungsoo, he went into the room and manhandled Sungjong out with him.

“Get off me!” Sungjong screamed, battling with Woohyun’s arms. Sungyeol gasped to see that Sungjong’s face was red and blotchy with had tears streaming down. Evidently the boy had been crying in his room.

“You need to give us some answers, you brat!” Woohyun bellowed and he dragged Sungjong to the sofa.

“Hey, hey, hey! Woohyun ah!” Dongwoo shouted. “Don’t be so rough!”

Hoya rushed with Dongwoo to pull Sungjong from Woohyun’s grasp before manoeuvring him to sit on the sofa. Sungjong was crying so hard that it was like moving a ragdoll. Sungyeol hastened to go grab some tissues while Myungsoo immediately went to Sungjong’s side, rubbing his back and hugging his shoulders.

“Why is there a picture of you kissing a guy?” Woohyun yelled, and Sungyeol shrank back. He had forgotten how scary Woohyun was when he was angry.

“I don’t know!” Sungjong screamed back. His voice was scratchy and hoarse from the crying, but a part of Sungyeol was just relieved that Sungjong was actually showing signs of life now. “I don’t know, okay! It was from years ago – when I was sixteen! Someone must have taken a picture when I kissed him!”

“Who’s “him”?” Woohyun asked darkly.

“My...” Sungjong faltered and glanced at the faces around him before setting his face. “My boyfriend at the time...he was just a classmate...I broke up with him a week later anyway because he cheated on me.”

Silence fell in the living room for a while as they absorbed the new information. Sungjong’s cries turned into quieter, hiccupping sobs.

“So you’re...” Hoya cleared his throat and continued. “So you’re really...gay?”

Sungjong sucked in a deep breath before speaking in a wavering voice. “Yes...Yes...” His face twisted into one of horror and harder sobs were wrenched from him. “Oh my god, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! Hyung, I’m so sorry! I’ve ruined us!”

Sungjong cried as though someone was torturing him with a burning stick and the pain in the cries brought tears to Sungyeol’s own eyes. He moved without even being aware of his own actions and found himself hugging Sungjong from the side.

“Don’t cry,” Sungyeol gulped. “Please stop crying. Hyung’s here.”

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Woohyun rush to Sungjong and hug him from the front while Myungsoo and Dongwoo hugged Sungjong’s other side. What a peculiar sight they must have looked like, Sungyeol thought. Four young men hugging a sobbing man while one more stroked Sungjong’s hair from the back.

“It’s okay,” Woohyun said in a teary, thick voice. “It’s okay. Hyung’s not mad at you.”

“Shh” was all Dongwoo said while Myungsoo babbled about something amidst his own cries.

They hugged each other so tightly as though if they hugged tight enough, they might just be able to mend the splinters that had formed.

And no one ever wanted to let go.

 

* * *

 

Sungyeol didn’t know when he fell asleep but he must have sometime during the hugging pile up. A warm weight rested on his lap and another weight rested on his shoulder. Without opening his eyes, he could only presume that it was Woohyun who was sprawled over his lap and Sungjong leaning against him. They’d all fallen asleep on the sofa.

Which made Sungyeol wonder what it was that had actually woken him up. He was in the middle of pondering it when the soft sound of footsteps reached his ears. He stiffened as someone gently lifted his head, but relaxed again as a pillow was put under his head. A few sleepy seconds later, the same hands shrouded him in a warm blanket.

Sungyeol had a good idea as to who the hands belonged to but he cracked his eyelids open a tiny bit to check. The first thing he saw was the clock on the wall that read 2.00am. He then noticed that Woohyun was indeed lying on his lap. Sungjong was snoring lightly on his left with Myungsoo draped around him. Hoya was sleeping on the floor while Dongwoo slept with his back against the sofa. Someone had brought the quilts and pillows from the bedrooms and made the members comfortable, while also dimming the lights.

A flicker of movement caused Sungyeol to look directly in front of him. On the sofa opposite, sat their Leader. Sunggyu wasn’t doing anything. Just watching them sleep with a soft look on his face. A rush of warmth for him blazed through Sungyeol.

“Hyung.”

Sunggyu jumped, making Sungyeol snigger.

“Sungyeol ah! I thought you were sleeping.”

“Mhmmm,” Sungyeol said sleepily. “When did you come back, hyung?”

“Just now,” said Sunggyu quietly. “I didn’t want to wake all of you. Everyone must be shattered, huh?”

“Mhmm,” Sungyeol nodded, feeling Sungjong’s hair tickle his cheek. “How was the meeting with SM’s CEO, hyung?”

Sunggyu sighed and leaned forward slightly to clasp his hands together, bringing him in line with the glow of the tableside lamp. Sungyeol gasped, only remembering at the last minute not to shout.

“Hyung! What happened?” Sungyeol hissed. He stared at the red palm print adorning Sunggyu’s right cheek and the finger-patterned bruises around Sunggyu’s neck. He saw red and it was only the fact that if he moved, he’d wake the other members up, that kept him still.

“It’s nothing, Sungyeol ah,” Sunggyu said. “Go back to sleep.”

“But hyung – “

“Sleep.”

Sungyeol kept quiet, knowing that he couldn’t force Sunggyu to tell him anything without another member to back him up. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before –

“Hyung...I’m scared.”

“Don’t worry, Sungyeol ah. We’re all going to be fine.”

Sleep was coming back to Sungyeol slowly and he laid his head back onto the pillow. “And we’ll stay together, right?”

The answer took longer than usual to come, but once it did, Sungyeol allowed sleep to take him with ease.

“We’ll stay together. For infinity.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please, please comment! I thrive on any sort of opinions - even criticisms! x  
> Honestly, even though this is a fanfic, I find it hard to think of Infinite reacting to a news like this any other way. =)


	3. Sunggyu

Sunggyu couldn’t remember ever feeling so embarrassed as he was dragged through the backstage corridor. It was just at the time where all the idols were heading towards the final stage, and Sunggyu felt his cheeks colour at being roughly manhandled in front of them. He tried to slow down his pace and pull his arm out of Jungsu’s grip but though well into his forties; the manager was well built and simply tightened his hold on Sunggyu’s arm before walking faster.  

He tried to avoid their eyes as best as he could despite the voice in his head repeating like a mantra, _“You have nothing to be ashamed of. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”_ Nevertheless, Sunggyu heard the sniggers behind his back and it brought the voice to a halt.

Some, mostly the girls, sent him sympathetic glances, but most seemed to look at him with the same venom they had looked at Sungjong. Shindong turned away as he walked but Heechul glared fiercely Jungsu manager and seemed about to intervene when his leader drew him away with a pointed gaze. Nevertheless, it made Sunggyu’s heart lighten just slightly to see that he had someone still on his side.

They eventually reached the managers’ car and if Sunggyu hadn’t felt so upset at his earlier humiliation, he would have been grateful at the lack of reporters waiting. Jungsu got into the car’s backseat with him while the other  managers got into the front. Sunggyu fastened his seatbelt, feeling his arm throb where the other manager had gripped him. He tried not to frown at Jungsu, reminding himself that any impoliteness would only result in making things worse for Infinite.

The ride to SM’s Headquarters was devoid of talk. Sunggyu closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep, unwilling to engage in any conversation with Jungsu. He heard Jungsu snort disdainfully before choosing to play with his phone.

Sunggyu half expected to hear Sungyeol’s childish shrieks as he pranked another member, or Sungjong’s outraged yell when Woohyun teased him yet again, or even Dongwoo’s babbling. But everything remained deadly silent, reminding Sunggyu of the quiet that always came before the storm.

He wondered if the ride home for his dongsaengs was just as quiet.

Sungjong was gay and if Sunggyu was honest, deep down he’d already known that. It was his job as the leader to be observant after all, and he’d seen it. He’d seen the innocent wistfulness in Sungjong’s gaze when he looked at Myungsoo, his utter disinterest in sexy girls...There’d been plenty of signs, and Sunggyu cursed himself for not speaking to Sungjong about this. For not making sure that no signs of it would ever get to the public.

His stomach churned with nerves at the thought of meeting SM’s CEO and likely his entire group of lackeys too. His CEO Jungyeop wouldn’t be there, Sunggyu knew. Jungsu had lied but Younjun, only that day returning from a holiday, hadn’t known that Jungyeop was having an important stomach operation in America that would put him out of commission for weeks.

Which meant that the role of Woolim’s CEO now naturally fell to Sunggyu, and right now, the title felt like a tight band around his throat.

He tried to think of a plan. How was he going to deal with SM’s CEO? How could he convince the man of Infinite’s potential, of Sungjong’s importance to the team? But his thoughts swirled around his head uselessly and by the time they were pulling in at SM’s Headquarters an hour later, Sunggyu felt like a lamb going in for the slaughter. He got out of the car, surprised to see that the sky had darkened with stars already winking down at him. 

“Come on,” Jungsu said. He led the way through a confusing mix of corridor before eventually arriving at a dark grey door labelled “SM CEO – Kim Parksoo”. Jungsu knocked and upon hearing a consenting noise from inside, he opened the door and ushered Sunggyu in.

The CEO’s room was very large and as usual, had the nice modern decorations with a glass wall behind the CEO’s desk. Sunggyu had been right about the CEO’s lackeys being there. They sat, smartly suited, at desks arranged on boths sides of the CEO, almost forming a “U” arrangement.

Sunggyu felt like almost laughing at the layout. It was like he was a prisoner being sent for the gallows in front of a panel of judges. Nevertheless, he bowed deeply from the waist and took his standing position in front of the CEO.

SM’s CEO was around the same age as Jungyeop, with broad shoulders and a surprisingly rugged handsome face. But he’d always remindeded Sunggyu of a snake with his sly, hard eyes and coiled smile that could turn into snarl at any second. It always made Sunggyu lean closer to Jungyeop every time they had a meeting together.

“Well, Sunggyu,” Parksoo sighed exaggerately. “This is a bad turn of matters, isn’t it?”

Sunggyu kept his head down. _Don’t backtalk, don’t backtalk, don’t backtalk..._

 “An Infinite member. Gay,” Parksoo  shook his head. “I knew that it was a risk to merge with Woolim. They pick up just any rubbish from the streets.”

A sharp pain erupted in Sunggyu’s palm and he realised that he was clenching his fists so tightly that his nails would definitely leave marked indents. The image of Sungjong laughing as he made the other members breakfast flitted through Sunggyu’s head. _Rubbish?_

“Not you, of course, Sunggyu.” Parksoo smiled but Sunggyu noticed it didn’t reach his eyes. “You know, you’re a good Leader. I can see why Jungyeop puts his trust in you. You’re a man with a fixed goal in his head, and will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Right?”

Sunggyu frowned at the floor. “ _Whatever it takes...”_ What exactly did Parksoo mean by that?

A man to Parksoo’s side began talking. “Anyway, sasagnim. We haven’t decided when it would be best to reveal it to the press.”

“The quicker, the better,” Parksoo said, sipping at his tea. “Each second the boy remains there, makes the stain on the whole team even darker.”

“And what about their fans, sasagnim?” Another man spoke up from the other side. “What do we inform them.”

“The usual,” Parksoo said with a shrug. “He decided to leave on his own to reflect on his past mistakes. He apologises for being a faggot and will try to change his ways.”

Sunggyu raised his head sharply, trembles flitting down his spine at the implications of what Parksoo said.

“You’re talking about Sungjong leaving Infinite?” Sunggyu asked loudly.

Parksoo frowned. “Well, of course. What else can we do with this scandal?”

“But Sungjong doesn’t want to leave,” Sunggyu said. The queasy feeling in his gut grew and for a second he thought he might throw up. “He _can’t_ leave.”

Parksoo sighed and put his pen down. “Sunggyu, I thought I just only made this clear. He need to go.”

“No,” Sunggyu replied, trying to keep his voice from rising. “You can’t do that. Sungjong is a part of Infinite.”

Parksoo’s grip around the pen tightened so hard that Sunggyu could see the veins in his hand stand out and his knuckles whiten. All traces of affability were wiped from the man’s face, and when he spoke, his words were laced with an undercurrent of darkness. “The faggot gets kicked out. There is no discussion on this matter.”

Sunggyu paused. His heart hammered fast in his ribcage, like a bird trying to break free from this whole damnable situation. He stared at Parksoo who hard eyes stared back at him, daring him to make a decision. For the barest of second, he considered giving in. His shoulders slumped and his back bent. Wouldn’t that be easier? Wouldn’t he be able to escape all the anger and hate directed towards him, towards Infinite as a whole, if he could just let Sungjong go?

Then Sungjong’s face flashed into his mind. Smiling while chatting with Myungsoo as he did the dishes after dinner. Laughing with Dongwoo at Hoya’s rubbish jokes. Scowling at Woohyun and Sungyeol as flour covered his clothes after yet another prank. Crying as the managers scolded him, crying as Infinite won yet another award, crying as he hugged Sunggyu with words of gratitude spilling from his mouth.

Infinite’s maknae.

His youngest dongsaeng.

_Of course…_

Sunggyu shut his eyes and took a deep breath, stiffening his back and tensing his shoulders in preparation of the weight he knew was about to fall on them. Opening his eyes, he gazed directly at Parksoo.

“No. Sungjong stays in Infinite. That’s my final decision.”

Something flew past his head – the pen, Sunggyu could only presume as the sound of a loud crash filled the room. Parksoo had uploaded his table onto the floor, scattering stationery and pieces of paper everywhere as he breathed heavily, the veins in his head engorged. Eyes fixed on Sunggyu, he stalked forwards.

“You damn brat,” he hissed. “Say that again.”

Sunggyu’d never quite realised how tall or broad Parksoo was, and he tried not to back away as the man came closer. There was nothing but pure rage in the crevices of the CEO’s face, and with only Jungsu behind, Sunggyu was cornered. The voice in his head screamed for him to run, but he knew he couldn’t. This had to be settled now.

“Jungyeop CEO is out of commission right now, which means that decisions fall to me,” said Sunggyu, trying to sound assertive.  “Sungjong will stay in Infinite and Woolim will try to damp down the press coverage over this matter.” He looked into Parksoo’s and injected a pleading tone into his voice. “Please try to understand, Infinite is nothing without seven. There needs to be all of us to – “

Pain exploded in the right side of his face, sending him straight to the ground. Dazed, Sunggyu tried to stand but the strength had been sapped from his arms and his knees buckled under the slightest weight. He tasted a coppery tang in his mouth and saw the spots of red adorning the cream carpet. He didn’t move for a few seconds as his mind tried to understand what had just happened. He’d been hit. Parksoo had just backhanded him and Sunggyu wasn’t sure whether he felt more angry or surprised.

Something moved from the corner of his eyes and before he could react, a foot slammed into his side. Sunggyu managed a hoarse, strangled yell as all his breath was driven out of him and he was forced onto his back . Through his blurry vision, he managed to see Parksoo sigh and smoothen his hair and blazer before resting his feet on Sunggyu’s chest.

“You listen here.” Parksoo spoke in a monotone as though he was in a regular board meeting. “I don’t like faggots and I don’t like loss of profits. That girly faggot staying on Infinite is going to bring about a severe loss. Nothing SM couldn’t deal with, but nevertheless…it’s still a fall in our income and in Woolim’s income, of course. You’re a smart boy. Can’t you see that getting rid of him would be in the best interest of everyone?”

Sunggyu’s abdomen hurt so much, even more with the light pressure Parksoo was putting on it with his feet. His mouth felt swollen and his cheek wouldn’t stop stinging. The pain seemed to engulf him and tears prickled at his eyes.

Sunggyu represented every Infinite member, which meant that their strengths – _Woohyun’s passion, Dongwoo’s optimism, Hoya’s endurance, Sungyeol’s lightness, Myungsoo’s heart and Sungjong’s love_ -  their strengths were his too. He was their leader, and he could be brave enough for this.

He bit his lip, refusing to show an ounce of weakness to the despicable CEO, to the rows of suited money hungry bullies sat in the room and smirking at his pain, to Jungsoo who was disinterestedly chewing gum by the door.

“Sungjong stays with us,” he managed to force out, blood speckling Parksoo’s shoe as he spoke.

The CEO’s face hardened again. He reached down and threaded a hand through Sunggyu’s hair. Face scrunched up with pain, Sunggyu was shakily forced to his feet before he was slammed into the nearest wall. Hands wound around his neck and started squeezing, causing Sunggyu to choke and gasp for breath. He clawed at Parksoo’s hands but the man was too strong and with each passing second, Sunggyu could feel his energy depleting. Spots of light danced in front of his vision, seeming to taunt him about his own weakness.

“GET OFF HIM!”

Parksoo’s hands were wrenched off his neck, and Sunggyu found a new, firm yet gentler pair of hands supporting him as he bend his back to cough.

“WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?”

Relief swept through Sunggyu and he leaned more against the tall body holding him. He knew that voice, despite rarely having heard it sound so angry, and a glance up showed him right. Infinite’s manager, Geonam, glared so furiously at the CEO that it was a wonder that Parksoo didn’t combust right there and then.

Parksoo adjusted his tie calmly. “We had a difference of opinion.”

“So you beat him up?” snarled Geonam. “So you were going to kill him?”

Parksoo snorted disdainfully. “I don’t need to speak to you.” He levelled a glower at Sunggyu. “If Sungjong is not off the team by the end of this week, I will be taking special measures.”

Sunggyu didn’t trust himself to reply without sounding pained. Every part of his body ached. He looked back to the floor and waited for Geonam to take him out.

“Jungyeop sasagnim will hear about this,” Geonam said, hate thrumming in his voice.

“I know that Jungyeop is indisposed for at least a month,” said Parksoo. “You won’t tell anybody.”

“Hyung,” Sunggyu whispered before Geonam could retort, “please can we just go?”

Geonam clamped his mouth shut and half carried Sunggyu, using his shoulder to slam into Jungsoo on the way out. Sunggyu was glad that it was already reaching near midnight, which meant that the corridors were mostly empty. He sagged against Geonam as they made their way towards the car, only half listening to the manager’s steam of mumblings.

“ – I knew something was wrong when Youngjun told me that Jungyeol would see you with Parksoo. I tried to get in touch with SM’s receptionist but they wouldn’t answer my calls, and you had your phone off, so I raced down here as fast as I could but…Sunggyu-ah, are you okay?”

“Members,” Sunggyu mumbled as Geonam supported him into the car’s passenger seat. “I just need to see the members.”

Geonam quickly got into the driver’s seat but before he started the engine, he turned to face Sunggyu. “Do we need to go to the hospital?”

“No,” Sunggyu said, glad to find that the bleeding in his mouth had stopped at least. “I just ache – will have bruises for a couple of days. Otherwise, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, let me just get the first aid kit – “

“Hyung, please. I just want to go home. Really. I’ll get the blood sorted once I’m in my room.”

Geonam hesitated, but probably seeing the stubbornness in Sunggyu’s eyes, he gave in. “You don’t Sungjong to leave the team. That’s why Parksoo beat you.”

Sunggyu sighed and nodded, hating the way his voice broke as he answered. “Yes. I won’t let Sungjongie leave Infinite.”

Geonam stared at him for a few seconds before leaning forward and enveloping him in a hug. Sunggyu stiffened before relaxing into it, finding the adult’s warmth and the gentle hand brushing his hair more comforting than he would ever admit.

“Aigo, our Sunggyu has grown into a man,” Geonam said huskily.

Sunggyu laughed tiredly before pulling back out of the hug and concentrating on fastening his seatbelt.

“Then why do I still feel like a little boy, hyung?”

 

* * *

 

They reached the high rising flats by 1.30am and it was easy work to bundle Sunggyu inside - especially with the lack of reporters around at that time. Sunggyu sent the manager away once he reached his room’s door.

He paused before opening the door, thoughts of what waited for him swirling in his head. Did the members have a fight about Sungjong’s news? Did they throw things around? Were they all refusing to talk to Sungjong? Would he go in to find Sungjong gone with his things packed up?

Dread coiling in his stomach, he opened the door and went in.

Finding them all sleeping draped around each other like seven years brought a wide smile to his face. He should put more trust in them, he scolded himself. Of course they’d all band together. His members’ kindness and compassion had always been one of the reasons he loved them so much.

He went to have a shower and get rid of the blood crusting his chin and neck. A look in the mirror showed bruises around his neck, cheek and abdomen, and Sunggyu rolled his eyes at his reflection, imagining having to explain the marks to the other members the next morning.

Coming back into the living room, he saw Woohyun shiver and hurried to get blankets and pillows for them all, warmth blooming in his chest as he tucked them to sleep. He smoothed Sungjong’s hair behind his ears, smiling as the boy nuzzled sleepily into his hand.

Sunggyu sat on the sofa opposite to watch them for a while, soothing Sungyeol who briefly woke up, before feeling sleep and exhaustion pull at his eyelids.

He tried to keep his eyes open as long as he could so that he could burn the image of them sleeping so peacefully – _and safely, with him keeping guard_ \- into his eyes forever, but eventually sleep conquered him too and he fell into a dreamless state where all the pain and pressure seemed to disappear.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do leave comments - they always motivate me to work harder and post more chapters! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> Next chapter: Woohyun - wherein the meaning of prejudice is harshly taught.


	4. Woohyun

**Chapter 4 – Woohyun**

Woohyun woke up to the sound of bustling in the kitchen. He heard a kettle whistling and the smell of bacon filled the air. His stomach rumbled and he remembered he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon.

The events of yesterday came rushing back to him, causing a headache to slowly pulse behind his temples. Sighing, he pushed himself up from the couch’s cushions, stretching his muscles as he moved. The first thing he saw was Sunggyu curled up in the sofa opposite. Someone had put a blanket over Sunggyu but it didn’t hide the marks adorning his cheek and neck.

Anger rose so quickly that for a second, he only saw red. He stood up, feeling dizzy with the suddenness, but before he could let out an angry yell, Dongwoo sauntered out of the bathroom, clad in only his boxers and with a towel around his neck.

“Shh,” Dongwoo said urgently. “Don’t shout. Let hyung sleep.”

“Why does hyung look like that?” Woohyun hissed furiously. “He looks like he went five rounds with you hyped up with sweets!”

Dongwoo dried his hair and sent him a pointed look. “You know who Gyu-hyung went to see yesterday.”

 Woohyun blood boiled at the thought of the hard faced SM’s CEO but he sat back down with a heavy sigh. “I should have gone with him.”

Dongwoo came over and patted his back, mumbling some things under his breath too quickly. Woohyun put his head in his hands, unable to bear looking at Sunggyu’s bruises. The “Deputy” title hung heavily around his neck, and he couldn’t help but feel responsible. It was his job to lead the team when the leader wasn’t there, but it was also his job to support the leader, to look after the leader. He’d had a sinking feeling the day before as Jungsu led Sunggyu away but he hadn’t done anything about it.

Dongwoo squeezed his shoulder tightly. “Hyung wouldn’t have let you go with him anyway, Woohyun-ah. And we can try to help him now anyway. Hmm?”

Sungjong’s voice rang out loudly from the kitchen, cheery as though it was any other morning but with an overly forced upbeat to it. “Breakfast’s ready! I’ll bring it to the living room!”

Sunggyu stirred on the couch before groggily blinking his eyes open and sitting up. The other members came out from their rooms, already dressed and fresh faced despite the cloud of gloom seeming to hang over them. Sungjong brought plates of eggs and bacon over and laid them out on the table. He made repeated trips to the kitchen to finish laying everything out and handing cups of tea to the members.

Sunggyu was the first to start eating. He smiled at Myungsoo who cuddled up next to him, but shook his head firmly upon seeing the question in Woohyun’s eyes.

“Hyung, your tea.”

Woohyun shifted his gaze from Sunggyu to Sungjong, who smiled at him tentatively with a cup in his hand. Guilt stabbed at  Woohyun to see the red rimmed eyes of the younger boy, remembering how rough he’d been yesterday. He’d just been so angry about everything – the fans’ reactions, the mocking sniggers...He had needed answers, right there and then.

“Come sit next to hyung,” Woohyun said, accepting the tea and patting the empty spot next to him.

Something like protectiveness flared within him as Sungjong’s face brightened. The maknae squashed up next to him and loaded up a plate.

“Sungjong,” Sunggyu broke the silence. “Have you spoken to your parents?”

Sungjong nodded as he pretended to busy himself with opening the ketchup bottle. “Yes, hyung. They wanted me to come home, but I said I was fine here.”

Sunggyu nodded before looking at the other members. “Well, let’s discuss it now. Does anyone here have a problem with Sungjong?”

“I’m trying to understand, hyung,” Dongwoo spoke up, meeting Sungjong’s eyes calmly. “Jongie, I don’t get why you find men more attractive, or why you’d kiss one…I’m really trying to understand why you are the way you are…But don’t worry. It’ll take hyung some time, but hyung will get there.”

It was almost disturbing, Woohyun thought, to see Dongwoo so subdued and serious. But as always, Dongwoo’s compassion shone out and Woohyun nodded at his friend approvingly.

“I have no problem,” Myungsoo muttered.

“I feel the same way as Dongwoo hyung,” Sungyeol said with his hand up.

“I’m fine with the way Sungjong is,” said Woohyun. “Just worried.”

“Me too,” Hoya said quietly. He hadn’t touched his food, Woohyun noticed. Of course…Hoya had sacrificed so much, including his family, to get to where he was. And now that was all in peril.

“Everyone,” Sungjong spoke clearly. He took a deep breath and raised his head to meet all of their eyes. “Everyone, I’m so sorry about this. I never expected that picture to come up. I never thought that anyone would find out. I’m sorry for being so naïve. And I’m sorry for being the way I am.”

Woohyun was surprised at the maturity he saw in Sungjong’s gaze. It wasn’t a boy who was looking at him anymore, it was a man ready to face the consequences and a part of Woohyun mourned for Sungjong’s lost innocence. _Aigoo, he’s grown up already…_

“It’s not your fault for being the way you are,” Woohyun said firmly. “It’s everyone else’s fault for not accepting it.”

“Nevertheless,” Sungjong said, “I’m sorry for putting so much burden on the team.” A pained expression crossed his face as he looked straight at Sunggyu. “I’m so sorry, hyung, for making you get hurt. If you want me to leave Infinite…” Sungjong’s fists trembled in his lap. “If you want me to leave, I’ll go.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Sunggyu said sternly. “We’re going to fight to keep you on our team.”

“Yes!” Dongwoo shouted and clapped his hands together loudly. “Infinite is seven! Not six!”

“We can’t lose out maknae!” Woohyun said, taking Sungjong’s head under his hair and musing up the boy’s hair. “Who else will Sungyeol and I prank?”

“Yes!” Sungyeol yelled. “And who else will do the dishes, and the washing up, and make dinner, and make breakfast, and take the bins out…” He laughed sheepishly as five glares were aimed at him. “Ah...I mean, Infinite is seven! We can’t just have six!”

Sungjong laughed and bowed his head, trying to hide the tears streaming pouring down his cheeks.

Sunggyu nodded, the tenseness in his shoulders finally lessening, and Woohyun knew just how much it meant to the leader to have all the other members’ support. “Good. Okay. We need a plan.”

“Plan!” Dongwoo whooped.

Sunggyu put down his plate of food and moved closer to them, prompting the others to do the same. They clustered in a small circle, as though an enemy waited for them just outside the door.

“We’re going to change our main song from “Smile”,” Sunggyu lowered his voice. “Instead we’re going to use “Attack” – the 2nd song in our album.”

“But hyung,” Hoya sighed. “Dancemaster said the choreography for the song was too complicated for us to pull off.”

“Exactly,” said Sunggyu. “We need something more impressive than “Smile”. We need something that will blow everyone’s minds. We need to show that Kpop is nothing without Infinite.”

Judging by the others’ faces, Woohyun wasn’t the only one the feel the building pressure. It was like their “Dashidorawa” days again, unknowing of their futures as an idol group, totally dependent on their fans and with a small chance of gaining worldwide recognition. They’d needed to practice for sixteen hours a day back then, and going by the grimness of Sunggyu’s stance, it would seem like they were going to have to do that again.

“We will stay in the flat all the time,” Sunggyu said. “We’ve got a space big enough to practice here. No one talks to the press or any forms of media. Ignore calls from friends, especially from idol friends, and only speak a little to your families. We can’t trust anyone right now.”

Woohyun swallowed anxiously, the sombreness of the situation was starting to get to him.

“We’re booked for Kim Gura’s variety show four days from now,” Sunggyu continued. “We will go there. You will all leave the talking to me. Jongie…you especially don’t say a word.”

Sungjong nodded seriously.

“Then we have the performance for the Dragon Entertainments Awards next week. Which means we have seven days to perfect our “Attack” dance,” said Sunggyu. “If that goes well – which it will, we go to Weekly Idol the day after and slowly start to regain our image. Understand?”

“Yes,” Woohyun chorused with the other members. He high fived Sungjong and Sungyeol before standing up with his fists pumped. “Alright! Let’s do this!”

 

* * *

 

They practiced hard over the next few days. Hoya and Dongwoo moved the furniture around and they cleared their vast living room into a practice dance room. Painting their large window a sleek silver gave it enough reflection light to act as a mirror, though Woohyun yearned for the a proper mirror, a proper stereo and better floors, which didn’t hurt his feet soles so much. But practicing their dance in the hotel room, instead of travelling to the dance studio, meant that they didn’t just avoid reporters, but was also able to practice from morning to night before taking a quick shower and going to bed.

Each part of Woohyun’s body ached, though he could see Sungjong and Myungsoo struggling even more with the difficult choreography, which involved more acrobatics and harder dancing. But Sunggyu never eased the pressure, allowing them a break of a few minutes every four hours before they were back to work, dancing, singing, dancing, singing – over and over again. Polishing each mistake, smoothing out each microsecond of timing so that they were perfectly synchronised, perfectly balanced.

A few fights erupted, Sungyeol yelling at Sunggyu to let him sleep longer, Hoya snapping at Dongwoo to tone down his moves, Myungsoo at one point refusing to dance because his body hurt so much. But it only took one look at Sungjong’s tear stained face, red with the exertion of exercise and pained with guilt, for the fights to die down as soon as they started.

The members sometimes looked on the Internet to find out the fans’ opinions. Some fans were boycotting their youtube videos to keep the viewcount low, and some fans had turned into antis. There was more, but Woohyun didn’t know about it, having refused to join in with his members discussions on the matter.

He’d given the fans so much love, and for them to turn against him like this...It created an ache in his chest and he wondered if it’d ever go away.

By the time the day for Gura’s variety show came, Woohyun woke up with a determination in his step. They’d worked so hard and if the past few days had proven anything to him, it was that Infinite truly deserved to be the idol group on stage.

The managers had been popping in occasionally during the days they’d been confined in the hotel, and it was Geonam who arrived to drive them to the variety show filming. Woohyun found it hard to guess how the managers felt about the whole situation they were in. They kept a blank face as Sunggyu explained their plan, and didn’t seem to treat Sungjong any differently. And that was good enough for now, Woohyun guessed.

It was strange to see the outside world for the first time in five days. They’d been cooped up in the hotel room for so long that it was both pleasant and jarring to suddenly feel the warmth of sunlight on his skin and dull chatter of people talking. Everyone’s lives were going on so normally.

The ride to the variety show consisted of Sunggyu lecturing them for the umpteenth time that day. Woohyun zoned out at some point between _“Make sure you don’t look directly at reporters at all”_ and _“Don’t communicate with any of the other idols”_. He mused on the show that awaited them instead. It was Kim Gura’s new show “Teatime with Stars”, involving Hyungdon from Weekly Idol and the comedian, Park Myungsoo, on the panel too. A simple interview styled talkshow with the variety of stars that’d come to see them.

Woohyun frowned, remembering his conversation with Sunggyu the night before.

_“You know why Gura hasn’t cancelled us from his show yet, right?” Woohyun asked, resting his head on Sunggyu’s lap. They’d taken a quick break from practice._

_“Yeah,” said Sunggyu._

_“He’s going to cut into us,” said Woohyun, squeezing his water bottle till his knuckles whitened. “He’s going to grill us and target Sungjong. Why are we going?”_

_“To send a message,” Sunggyu said clearly and the conversation ended with Woohyun feeling more confused that he’d been to start with._

Woohyun turned in his seat to glance at Sungjong his shoulders relaxing to see the youngest sleeping with his head on Myungsoo’s shoulder. _Just let Gura try_ , Woohyun vowed, _I’ll destroy him._

“My driving lessons are almost over,” said Hoya, no doubt trying to lighten the mood. “My instructor says I’m the best driver she’s ever seen.”

“Ah, please Hoya,” said Sungyeol with a dramatic sigh. “Stop being so modest. You’re hurting us.”

Hoya grinned. “She’s really impressed by how fast I can go, and how I can weave my way through cars – she said she’d hire me as the getaway driver for a bank robbery any day. I told her she’d have to pay me a getaway amount of money to get her way for her to get away.”

The car erupted in groans.

“Ehhh - Hoya, that doesn’t even make sense.”

 “Hoya, shut up! You’re really not funny.”                

“I really am great at driving though,” Hoya said defensively. “I should be in an action movie.”

Thankfully, they reached the show’s set up soon, not having to listen to Hoya’s lame jokes anymore. They went backstage along with the other idols clustered around. By going through the backdoor, they’d managed to avoid all reporters waiting outside, and Woohyun beamed at his manager gratefully. Obviously, Geonam had been researching on the best entries and exits.

“What do you mean Infinite doesn’t have a changing room?” Geonam glared at a petite woman who was bowing to him repeatedly. “This schedule’s been fixed for months! You expect them to change here? In the middle of the corridor?”

Behind Geonam, Woohyun gritted his teeth, the familiar surge of anger rising within him. They were being treated like they’d just debuted. Like rookies. As though they didn’t already have multiple number one awards and two worldwide concerts under their belt.

“I’m sorry,” the woman stammered repeatedly. “But Hunters was a new addition to today’s panel and they needed a changing room so unfortunately, Infinite will have to make do.“

The vein in Geonam’s forehead looked ready to burst. “So you gave a rookie group a new room instead of us? How dare you – “

“Hyung,” Sunggyu touched Geonam’s arm and stepped forward. “It’s fine, hyung. We’ll manage.” He bowed deeply to the woman who looked startled at his manner. “Thank you for your help.”

Geonam sent a final glare before coordinating the makeup crew and the other managers to occupy a section of the corridor. Woohyun sighed and dropped his bag on the bench. He tried to dampen his anger with a swig of water, but the fire in him still burned, flaring higher at the sniggers he heard as the idol groups entered their respective changing room.

Sunggyu told them they’d change in the bathrooms. He went first with Dongwoo, leaving the rest of them to lounge in the middle of the corridor. The other managers went towards the office direction, presumably to complain about their treatment to higher authorities.

“We’re being treated like rubbish,” Sungyeol muttered next to Woohyun.

Hoya didn’t say anything but going by the force he flung his bag to the floor and the pent up tension in his muscles, he found the situation just as infuriating.

Myungsoo looked a lot calmer and there was even a smile playing on his lips. “Just put up with it. What else can we do, right hyung?”

Woohyun sighed and nodded. “Right. But why do you look so happy?”

“Cause we’re still together,” Myungsoo beamed. “As long as we’re still together, it’ll be fine.”

The noise level in the corridor suddenly increased as most of the other idols headed out of their changing rooms and clustered in the corridor. Woohyun flushed as he had to move around to make way for the idols already done with getting ready. Hunters came out of their room and Woohyun could have sworn he saw one of them aim a smirk towards his direction.

“Everyone,” Sungjong interrupted quietly, “guys, I’m so sor-“

“If you say sorry one more time, Jongie,” Woohyun turned, forcing a devilish grin on his face, “I’ll tickle you to death.”

Sungjong frowned at his wriggling fingers suspiciously before sending Woohyun a pleading gaze. 

“But hyung, I really am so sor – argh!”

He collapsed into giggles as Woohyun attacked him mercilessly, tickling him in all his weak spots. Under the arm, the sides of his stomach, around his neck. Woohyun laughed and only stopped when Sungjong begged him to.

“Our maknae,” Woohyun clasped the sides of Sungjong’s face and looked at him seriously, “should always be smiling and laughing like this. Right, guys?” He turned to the others to find them smiling too.

“Right,” Sungyeol said mock seriously. “If the maknae goes around with a long face everywhere, what’ll happen to our reputation?”

Myungsoo made a sound between a snort and a laugh while even Hoya grinned. Looking back, Woohyun saw Sungjong’s lower lip tremble with emotion and hugged the boy instinctively. He’d never had a little brother, but he wondered if this warmth inside him was because he’d somehow found himself having one anyway.

“Don’t get too close to him, he’ll probably enjoy it too much.”

It took Woohyun a few seconds to register the new voice and words. Once he did, he released Sungjong and swirled around so fast that he nearly lost his balance. His heart had started hammering against his ribcage.

“What...” Woohyun stared at 2pm’s Junho. “What did you say?”

“Why are you here?” Junho directed his question to Sungjong. “You haven’t just shamed your team, you’ve shamed all of us. What do you think people say about kpop idols now? They think we’re all as gay as you!”

Woohyun advanced, ignoring Hoya’s warning hand on his shoulder. “Shut up.” Blood roared in his ears as fuzziness around the edges of his vision grew. He felt faint, as though he was going to throw up any second now.

“Yah!” Super Junior’s Yesung stepped forward. “Is that any way to talk to your hyung? What’s wrong with him saying that what we’re all thinking?”

“Don’t insult Sungjong,” Woohyun said. He barely recognised the low growl in his own voice.

The backstage corridor had turned very quiet, all eyes trained on the growing commotion. Leetuk had stepped forward to pull Yesung back but his spot was simply replaced by Hunter’s leader, Tayson, who scowled at them.

“Your Sungjong’s a faggot. It’s all over the newspapers,” Tayson said bitingly. “What’s he still doing here?”

“He hasn’t done anything wrong!” Woohyun’s voice rose dangerously. There was a painful lump in his throat to see all the people he had loved and respected for so long stand against them. MBLAQ’s GO nodding to Tayson’s words, Zico’s look of hatred, Siwon’s headshake of disappointment... “Stop treating him like a criminal! He’s still an Infinite member!”

“Why are you all so supportive anyway?” Junho scoffed. “Does he do his nightly rounds in your bedrooms?”

Bile hit the back of Woohyun’s throat, in time to the horrified gasps coming from his members behind.

Tayson laughed and clapped Junho on the shoulder. “That’s true, hyung. Who know how many dicks he’s sucked to get into an idol team anyway?”

Woohyun’s mind went blank. The only thing he could hear was Sungjong’s ragged whimper from behind him, and his body was moving. He barely registered Hoya’s hand leaving his shoulder as he strode forwards. A red mist filled his eyes, an electric charge surging through his body as he lunged forward and landed the sound punch on Tayson’s cheek.

The fire in him roared its approval, now set completely ablaze. He heard Hoya punch Junho and batting aside the hands that reached to restrain him –

He attacked.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone commenting so far! I love you all! Please keep the comments coming in to motivate me further! Tell me anything you liked or didn't like from this chapter! xxx
> 
> Next chapter: Myungsoo - wherein they are tossed without lifejackets into a shark infested pool.


	5. Myungsoo

Myungsoo was the second youngest in Infinite, and that automatically gave him some privileges. It meant that he wasn’t the maknae, and hence didn’t have to deal with the compulsory teasing that followed the title. But he still received the same special treatment that the maknae received; extra helpings at foodtime, able to go straight to bed without being briefed by the manager and a tendency to escape their leader’s harsher scolding.

Not that Sunggyu got angry very often - only a handful of times actually. Myungsoo remembered the interview where they’d all pointed at Sunggyu as the scariest when angry. It was true. Sunggyu’s eyes full of disappointment and icy rage, armed with words that cut straight to Myungsoo’s heart...Myungsoo always hid behind Sungyeol when Sunggyu got like that. Truly, Myungsoo had never seen anyone scarier.

He didn’t expect to change his mind in the middle of the backstage of a variety show.

Woohyun charged straight at Tayson, his mouth set in a snarl and his eyes looking like those of a wild beast hunting a prey. Myungsoo could barely recognise his hyung who usually smiled so dorkily at the fans, who had never showed him an angry face, who had the warmest hugs in Infinite. Myungsoo watched Woohyun powerpunched Tayson, sending the taller boy flying back, and couldn’t help his gasp of horror.

“Hyung!” Myungsoo screamed so loudly that his throat burned. “Stop it!”

But Tayson was already up, swinging a blow at Woohyun which caught at his side and sent both of them to the ground. They started wrestling viciously, aiming blows that caught at each other’s faces, stomachs – wherever they could reach.  Woohyun was at a disadvantage with his smaller size but he fought with a fierceness that made up for it.

“You shut your mouth, you monster!” Woohyun roared, blood streaming from his cut lip.

“The only monster here is that faggot on your team,” Tayson screamed back and flipped them so that Woohyun was on the bottom.

“You bastard!”

On Woohyun’s other side, Hoya was grabbling with Junho – though Junho was clearly winning. Hoya doubled over as he was punched in the stomach before being slammed into the nearby wall. He seemed to be refusing to fight back, probably regretting his punch at Junho the moment he actually did it. Hoya had never been violent in nature.

“Hyung!” Myungsoo’s voice cracked as he rushed forward with Sungyeol, trying to separate Hoya from Junho. Sungyeol grunted as he was elbowed by Junho but they managed to get between the two boys. Hoya panted painfully, clutching at his abdomen.

“What’s going on?” Sunggyu’s voice made Myungsoo’s head jerk up. He and Dongwoo were staring at the ruckus with pure horror on their faces. “Woohyun!”

Sunggyu and Dongwoo leapt forward to grab Woohyun, their paths prevented by the idols clustered around, doing absolutely nothing. Sunggyu had just reached Woohyun when the main vocal managed to get on top of Tayson and land another sound punch onto the side of his head.

It was just that moment that all the managers and staff decided to come.

Myungsoo felt as though he was going to throw up and tremors flitted through his body. Drowsiness filled his head to see blood dripping down Woohyun and Hoya’s faces. His vision seemed to grow brighter and brighter by each passing second. His eyelids grew heavy and closed.

 In the one second it took for him to close his eyes, he saw Sunggyu pull Woohyun off Tayson and deliver a hard slap across Woohyun’s face before yelling in a tone of absolute fear and anger “Pull yourself together!”. He saw Beast’s and Hunter’s managers pull their idols closer to them, screaming bloody murder about the blood crusting their faces. He saw Tayson and Junho, and their teammates pointing fingers at Woohyun and Hoya, more and more fingers until it looked like all the fingers pointed towards Infinite.

Myungsoo closed his eyes and the darkness was a welcome.

 

* * *

 

 

He woke up to Sungjong’s face hovering above his, and Sungjong’s hands gently patting his hair. The maknae had been crying again – going by the blotchy face and red eyes - and really Myungsoo thought, it felt like Sungjong had cried more the past week than the past seven years he’s known him.

“Jongie?” he whispered.

Sungjong tried to smile. “You fainted for a few minutes.”

That explained why he was lying on the hard bench in the middle of the corridor, Myungsoo supposed. He sat up shakily, the snakes in his stomach twisting more to hear raised voices coming from nearby.

“You’re scum!” It was Jungsu’s voice, Myungsoo realised. The manager who had led Sunggyu to the SM CEO must be managing Hunter as well as EXO. “How dare you hit a new group’s leader?”

The corridor had emptied except for a group of people nearby. Jungsu and a few other SM managers stood at one side, with 2PM’s managers standing beside them. Tayson and Junho also stood with them, new makeup covering their bruises. Opposite the gang, were Sunggyu, Woohyun and Hoya, with Geonam and Youngjun standing behind them with their heads bowed.

Myungsoo’s fingers curled into fists to see the plaster on Woohyun’s lip and Hoya’s eyebrow. He had no doubt that his hyungs were far more injured that Tayson and Junho but new makeup already covered their bruises too.

“Throwing punches like school bullies,” 2PM’s manager had his lip curled in disgust. “You brats. We should report you to the police.”

Woohyun raised his head and Myungsoo saw that his eyes had still not lost its wild edge. “He said – “

“I don’t care what Junho said!” 2PM’s manager roared. “You still behave like an idol!”

Woohyun glared. “Then tell him to behave like an idol first!”

“You dare talk back?” Jungsu cried out and stalked forward. “You just assaulted two innocent boys!” He gestured at the rest of Infinite, “And the rest of you did nothing to help.”

Woohyun’s face twisted into a terrible anger that caused Myungsoo to shrink back. Even Hoya raised his head to glare daggers at the SM manager. And Myungsoo knew they were all remembering when Jungsu had stood by as SM’s CEO assaulted Sunggyu.

“We full heartedly apologise,” Sunggyu said hurriedly, pulling Woohyun and Hoya behind him. He bowed 90 degrees fully and repeatedly. “Please forgive their actions. Let us move on from this situation.”

Jungsu snorted disdainfully. “What’s to stop us from going to the police?”

Myungsoo stiffened, his heart hammering in his chest. No...they couldn’t...

Sunggyu raised himself to his full height. “Both sides participated fully in the fight, Woohyun and Hoya’s injuries prove that. You can’t convict them alone if you went to the police...hyungnim.”

“We were just defending ourselves,” said Junho.

“Yes! Those animals attacked us first!” Tayson cried out, moving forward past Jungsu. He glared straight at Woohyun.

Woohyun started forward, a growl escaping his lips, “How dare you use banmal towards a sunbaenim, you brat – “

Sunggyu gripped Woohyun’s hand and Woohyun visibly held himself back. Sunggyu looked at Junho and Tayson, and bowed his head.

“I beg of you. Let us forget about this and move on. Lessons can be learned today.”

Junho raised an eyebrow. “Apologise to us, then. Fully.” He received mutterings of approval from his manager and Jungsu.

Sunggyu bent his knees and Myungsoo realised with dawning horror that his oldest hyung was about to beg on his knees. He jerked forward, as did Sungjong, Dongwoo and Sungyeol, but Woohyun and Hoya had already grabbed Sunggyu’s arms and pulled him back.

“Hyung, what are you doing?” Woohyun asked in a thick voice suddenly full of tears. He and Hoya simultaneously got on their knees instead and laid the top halves of their bodies prostrate on the ground.

“We apologise for our wrongdoings,” Woohyun said clearly. “Please forgive us.”

Myungsoo didn’t hear the exchange that followed the apology. All he could see was how close Junho and Tayson’s feet were to Woohyun and Hoya’s heads, and little sobs took over him. He curled up on the bench with only Sungjong beside him, patting him on the back gently. Through the haze of his tears, he saw the angry idols’ managers leave.

The problem was over then.

But why did Myungsoo feel as though his heart was breaking?

 

* * *

 

The variety show’s stage was similar “Quiz to change the world” with Kim Gura, Hyungdon and Park Myungsoo sat on the panel while each idol group had their own space to sit. Myungsoo gritted his teeth to see that three of Infinite would need to stand seeing as they’d only been allocated four chairs. Myungsoo, Sungyeol and Sungjong chose to stand behind the other members. A huge screen was behind the panel, allowing the crowd to see close ups of the idols’ faces if the camera zooms in.

Some jeers came from the crowd in front of the panel. Myungsoo ignored it, choosing to try and catch his favourite Weekly Idol’s MC’s eye. But Hyungdon seemed to be purposefully looking away from Infinite.

The show started off with some banter as usual but almost instantly, the questions were directed towards Infinite.

“So, Infinite,” Gura said in a carefully nonchalant voice, “there was some news released recently about your maknae.”

“Honestly, I’ve got something to say about this,” Sunggyu said, raising his hand.

“Please do.” Gura’s grin resembled a shark and Myungsoo could only wonder how Sunggyu could remain looking as he normally did on variety shows - with his eyes purposefully wide and childlike.

“Honestly,” Sunggyu started, “I don’t see why everyone is getting so upset about this.”

“Ehhh – what do you mean you don’t understand?” Park Myungsoo said incredulously. “Your team member’s been proven to be gay. He’s brought shame to your group, and not just your group, but to all who represent Korea’s entertainment industry.”

Myungsoo sensed rather than felt all the members stiffen. Next to him, Sungjong stood still, his face eerily blank but Myungsoo could see the fear and internalised disgust in his eyes. Subtly, he slipped his hand into Sungjong’s and gave it a comforting squeeze.

Sunggyu laughed. “Hyung, this isn’t a Mulan movie. Sungjong hasn’t brought dishonour to anyone. He’s just been himself, and complying with the idol rules, he hasn’t been dating anyone since he joined Woolim.”

An incredulous silence greeted his statement. Many on the panel, including Hyungdon and Park Myungsoo, looked perplexed at Sunggyu’s frankness. But Myungsoo could sense the rising hostility emitting from the other idols and felt his stomach turn to see Gura’s clenched fists as he stared at Sunggyu with narrowed eyes.

Zico almost timidly raised his hand. “If we’re all being honest, can I join in?”

“Of course,” Gura switched to a warm smile as he faced the Block B member.

“I feel like I speak on behalf of a lot of my fellow idols,” said Zico morosely. “We all genuinely feel uncomfortable with Sungjong being around us now. As male idols especially, we usually exposed a lot to each other because we feel safe in each other’s company. You know, we show each other things that we’d never show the female idols. Now, I’ve shared changing rooms with Sungjong before, and...you know...”

“Ah, you feel as though he might have been looking at you?” Gura interjected, exaggerating his face to look sympathetic towards Zico.

Myungsoo wondered if the anger virus had infected Infinite, because ire rose within him so sharply, he opened his mouth without thinking.

“Zico, you’re really not his type.” He smirked at Zico, trying to pass it off as a light-hearted comment. “After all, our maknae only goes for the best.”

No one laughed, everyone looking shocked at what he’d said. Even Sungyeol was staring at him with his mouth open. Zico looked completely taken aback. Myungsoo had always been the one to keep his mouth shut in variety shows. But he was Sungjong’s hyung too. And that meant that it was also up to him to protect Sungjong.

Too late Myungsoo remembered Sunggyu’s instructions _“Don’t speak at all. Just let me speak”._ He gulped as he saw Gura’s eyebrows come together into a stern scowl.

“Are you trying to imply that Zico-goon is less than the best, Myungsoo-goon?”

Myungsoo swallowed nervously, feeling his hands start to clam up. His honest answer was “yes, Sungjong absolutely deserved someone who was 100% perfect”, but how was he supposed to phrase that without offending. Even Sunggyu was opening and closing his mouth, a look of alarm flashing across his features.

“Aigooo,” Dongwoo’s laugh didn’t reach anywhere near his usual brightness, “of course Zico is one of the best! But what to do – our maknae is always so picky! Right Sungyeol-ah?”

Sungyeol rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. “Of course. It seriously drives me crazy! I ask him if he’d like some oranges and he refuses, saying they’re not the best type! I ask him if he’d like to borrow my jumper but he says the material is not good enough for his skin! See how picky he is!”

It didn’t draw any laughs but it cleared the tense atmosphere Myungsoo had set. Myungsoo cursed himself for talking but felt better at the reassuring smile Sungyeol flashed him.

Hyungdon touched his earpiece briefly. He hesitated before asking, “And what exactly is your ideal type, Sungjong?”

Myungsoo scowled at the man, feeling oddly betrayed. Hyungdon knew that Sungjong couldn’t answer the question without turning more people against him.

“Hyung why do you ask?” Sunggyu said teasingly, though there was a hint of steel in his voice. “Hyung you’re far too old for Jongie!”

The crowd found it funny, even if no one on the stage did, and the laughter it drew seemed to spur Infinite on.

“Anyway, Jongie can’t date anyone!” Woohyun declared, jokingly raising his fist. “Not with his six hyungs here!”

“Yeah!” Sungyeol looked directly at the camera and did a mock kung fu move with his fists. “Whoever’s interested will have to go through me first.”

“And an interview in a dark room with only a hanging light,” Hoya added.

The crowd roared with laughter, and Myungsoo thought he could see a slightly, shy smile playing around Sungjong’s lips.From Super Junior’s corner, Myungsoo caught Heechul’s eye and startled to see the older idol’s sly thumbs up.

Gura looked faintly disgusted while Hyungdon was staring at Sunggyu with wounded eyes - though Myungsoo couldn’t understand how he managed to feel as though _he’d_ the one who’d been betrayed.

“Back to Zico’s concern, which I think we can all agree – is a valid one,” Gura spoke. “Do any other idols have something to say about it?”

Tayson raised his hand. “Yes, hyungnim. It’s just...I’m actually worried for Infinite sunbaenim. If Sungjong’s been gay all this time...the number of times he must have admired their bodies without their consent...”

Sungjong gripped Myungsoo’s hand back so tightly that it hurt, but Myungsoo clenched his teeth and bore it. It was questions like these which he knew were ripping Sungjong up from the inside. He glared at Tayson, biting the side of his cheek to keep from speaking.

“Tayson-ah,” Sunggyu smiled but his voice had gone dangerously soft, “do you sometimes admire your sister’s body without her consent?”

 “You go too far, Kim Sunggyu.” Gura slammed his hand down on the table and stood up before stalking forward.

Sunggyu flinched, causing Myungsoo’s breath to hitch. He hunched forward slightly over the older boy, noting the other members had automatically leaned closer to Sunggyu too. Myungsoo caught a glimpse of themselves in the tv screen hanging overhead and the fear and wariness ingrained on their faces shocked him.

But there was no way they were letting anyone touch their leader again. The fingermarks around Sunggyu’s neck still hadn’t faded.

Gura slowly sat back down urged by Hyungdon’s hand at his elbow.

“No hyungnim,” Sunggyu said with a respectful incline of his head. “It’s not me who’s gone too far. Sungjong is a brother to us – we’ve always said this – and implying that he’s nothing but a pervert in the group – _that_ is what’s gone too far.”

“He’s gay – “ Park Myungsoo tried to interrupt.

 “He’s gay. But he has never carelessly raised his hand to a woman,” Sunggyu replied smoothly, and Park Myungsoo coloured at the reminder of his previous scandal. “ – or indeed a man. He has never made someone to cry. He has never used cruel words. He has never drank alcohol and driven past his limits. He has never had to apologise at all for his misbehaviour because he’s simply never misbehaved. He’s remained just as he always has. Kind. Hardworking. Talented.”

Each word seemed to cut into everyone on the stage but even as glares of daggers were aimed in Infinite’s direction, Myungsoo saw certain people guilty of the crimes Sunggyu stated stir uncomfortably in their seats. And the crowd seemed less sure of Sungjong’s guilt, confused frowns marring their faces instead.

Gura pretended to busy himself with his placards and turned to Super Junior instead, before questioning them on their latest album. Myungsoo clenched his hands, realising that Gura had subtly done nothing to promote their album. He was confused about the looks of relief and satisfaction on his own members’ faces but when he tried to furrow his eyebrows at Hoya, he received only a small smile in reply.

The segment seemed to take forever to finish and Myungsoo found himself gritting his teeth as the no further attention was paid to Infinite. It was a live show so no amount of editing would be helping to contribute to their screentime. Myungsoo sighed slightly as Hunters showed off their new dance, Shinee played games with Super Junior, and Block B and BTOB bantered with each other. He couldn’t help the twist of jealousy in his stomach as he watched the other idols do their sexy dances, aegyo battles...Infinite could do all of these. They could bring more laughter than any of the other groups with the variety skills, Myungsoo was sure. How could they not be given the chance?

 _There’s still Weekly Idol,_ Myungsoo told himself, _still Weekly Idol..._

The show finally came to an end and no one walked close to Infinite as they made their way out of the show’s stage. Myungsoo could hear Gura talking loudly with the show’s PD, gesturing towards their backs angrily, but thankfully, Gura didn’t approach them.

Sungjong looked completely crestfallen at the turn of events. His shoulders were hunched and though he had his head held high, there was no mistaking the pain in his eyes each time he saw Woohyun’s bloodied mouth or Hoya’s darkening eye.

Sunggyu ordered for all of them to go to the car immediately and Myungsoo hastened to follow. He didn’t want to be in the backstage corridor when the other idols came out after getting changed. The disgust in their eyes would drive him crazy. They packed all their bags and the managers began guiding them out.

“Myungsoo-ah.” Sunggyu took hold of his elbow, preventing him from following the rest of the group. “Not you. You’re coming with me.”

Myungsoo’s heart sank as thoughts of why Sunggyu wanted to be alone with him flew through his head. Was he going to get scolded for speaking out of turn? Did he do something that made things worse for the group.

Sunggyu patted his cheek. “I’m not going to scold you – though you do deserve it, you impulsive kid. It’s just that I need to meet with Hyungdon hyung and I want someone to keep me company in case Gura’s or Park Myungsoo’s there.”

Myungsoo recoiled internally. He didn’t like conflict, and conflict is certainly what he’ll get if they bump into Gura or Park Myungsoo. But how could he refuse his leader? Especially since it seemed like Sunggyu still bore the mental scars from his encounter with SM’s CEO.

“Of course, hyung,” Myungsoo forced a smile.

They walked through the corridors together, Myungsoo trying not to look at another human being at all. He couldn’t stand the looks he was being given anymore. It made him sick.

“Hyung,” Myungsoo asked, “why me? Why not one of the others to follow you?”

“Woohyun and Hoya shouldn’t hang around after their fight today,” said Sunggyu with a small shrug, “and Sungjong needs to stay away from people like Gura as much as possible. Dongwoo and Sungyeol are too emotionally orientated and I want to avoid another commotion. Which leaves you. My trusty dongsaeng.”

Sunggyu smiled at him, but as was increasingly common these days, it was a fake smile that didn’t hide the stress in the leader’s face.

Myungsoo changed the topic. “Hyung why do you all look quite happy with the show today? We barely got any screentime!”

“It’s a live show, Myungsoo. Gura and his panel were hoping to rip into us so that all the people watching could see us degrade ourselves terribly. But we stood firm, we held up, and we sent an important message. That Sungjong hasn’t done anything wrong and that Infinite stands together.”

Sunggyu’s smile this time was genuine and Myungsoo found it hard not to smile back with the warmth in our chest.

“We might just get back some of our fans by doing that,” said Myungsoo. Sunggyu hummed in reply before pausing in front of the dressing room door of the talkshow’s hosts. He knocked before entering, pulling Myungsoo in with him.

To Myungsoo’s dismay, Gura and Park Myungsoo were already there with Hyungdon, who hurriedly came to greet them at the door.

“Hyung,” Sunggyu bowed his full 90 degrees bow and Myungsoo followed suit, despite his annoyance at the man still simmering.

“Sunggyu –ah,” Hyungdon said in a lowered voice. “Why are there marks around your neck?”

Myungsoo felt a flicker of surprise but realised the marks must have shown when Sunggyu bowed.

“Ah hyung, never mind that,” Sunggyu smiled playfully, “what did you want to talk about?”

Hyungdon raked a hand through his hair. “It’s just that, Sunggyu –ah. This is a bad situation we’re in. And there’s not much I can do. Not much Deffcon can do either. Our hands are tied and actually, I can completely understand where the show’s producer is coming from...”

Sunggyu had completely stiffened. “Hyung...what do you mean?”

Hyungdon refused to meet Sunggyu’s eyes. “Sunggyu-yah...maybe it’s for the best right now...but we’re going to have to cancel your Weekly Idol appearance.”

Myungsoo felt as though he’d been slapped in the face and it took him a few seconds to realised why. Weekly Idol had always been their home. It was where they felt completely comfortable to be themselves, and it was where the fans loved seeing them too. It was almost like a tradition – each time Infinite comes back, they go on Weekly Idol.

And Myungsoo knew the show’s PD, the show’s staff – everyone! And they’d always treated Infinite with so much warmth and affections. For the show not to want Infinite to guest on...

“Why hyung?” Sunggyu asked shakily. “If this is about Sungjong – “

“Of course it’s about Sungjong!” Hyungdon yelled. “Sunggyu-ah, why is he still on the team? Can’t you see he’s pulling you down?”

Sunggyu swallowed hard and he said in a wavering voice. “Hyung, I really thought you’d be different.”

Hyungdon sighed again and stepped forward with his arms outstretched. He seemed to be attempting a hug but Sunggyu moved back and when he lifted his head again, his face had hardened.

“Sungjong is part of Infinite, and if your homophobia stops you from accepting that, then that’s your problem.”

Myungsoo thought that it might have been the first time he’d ever heard Sunggyu speak informally to a senior, especially to Hyungdon who Sunggyu had always liked. Concern flared through Myungsoo. Sunggyu hadn’t wanted Dongwoo and Sungyeol because they were too emotional, but it looked like Hyungdon’s news had stretched Sunggyu past his limits.

Gura laughed mockingly from the back of the dressing room. “Yah! See how he reveals his true colours when you don’t give him what you want! All that politeness was just an act. What else do you expect from someone still supporting a faggot in the team?”

Sunggyu’s face was slowly turning red and his mouth twisted as he said, “I am polite to those who deserve my respect! And don’t you refer to Sungjong with that word!”

Park Myungsoo spat on the ground before striding forward towards Sunggyu. “How dare you speak to your hyungnim like that, you brat?”

He raised his arm to strike but Myungsoo found his feet moving before his brain processed what was going on. And when the slap landed squarely on Myungsoo’s own cheek, he found that the sharp pain only slightly tempered his relief at making sure his leader didn’t get hurt.

Hyungdon looked to be in complete shock that Park Myungsoo had struck out, while the man himself was staring at Myungsoo with something close to puzzlement in his eyes.

“Myungsoo ah,” Sunggyu whispered, horrified.

Myungsoo knew that it was only a matter of time before Sunggyu exploded at Park Myungsoo. He had to act quickly before things got worse.

“I’m fine, hyung,” Myungsoo replied quietly before flashing the full effect of his trademark glare at the three men in front of him. “Please forgive my hyung. He’s been under a lot of stress recently. But if you try to hit any of my hyungs or Sungjong in the future, I’ll report you to the police for abuse.”

And with that, Myungsoo encircled Sunggyu’s hand and led his dazed leader out of the room, making their way back to the car parked at the back. He could feel Sunggyu growing more upset and anxious with each step, probably blaming himself for his outburst and for the red mark on Myungsoo’s cheek.

But despite the stinging, Myungsoo felt good. He had protected his leader and was doing his best to protect their team too. _Let life throw its challenges,_ Myungsoo vowed, _as long as they were together, Infinite could overcome anything._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please, please comment! I really need to be motivated to keep writing! ;) xxx
> 
> Next chapter: Dongwoo - what to do when the clouds hide the sun?


	6. Dongwoo

Okay, the day hadn’t gone too well so far, Dongwoo mused. But that was okay. They were still young and had their good health. They’d just have to try their best the next day.

Dongwoo sighed internally. The problem was how he was supposed to convey that to the rest of the group. The atmosphere in the car was so gloomy, Dongwoo half expected rain clouds to drop in and soak all of them.

They were waiting for Sunggyu and Myungsoo to return, and through the windows, Dongwoo could see all the other idols entering their cars. He looked in the rear view mirror. Geonam was at the wheel and Dongwoo could see the bags under the managers eyes in. Geonam hadn’t yelled at Woohyun and Hoya for the fight, but Dongwoo would preferred it if he had. The manager’s tiredness was disturbing to see.

Woohyun and Hoya themselves kept very quiet, despite Dongwoo’s attempts to initiate conversation. Sungyeol sat next to Dongwoo with Sungjong sleeping on his lap. Dongwoo sighed. It made his heart sink to see everyone so depressed.

“Woohyun-ah,” Dongwoo said, “the broadcast went well, didn’t it? We sent the message out to our fans, didn’t we?”

Dongwoo cursed himself at the dark shadow that flashed across Woohyun’s face. Reminding his friend about their fans was never a good idea. Dongwoo knew that amongst all of them, Woohyun was the one who took the fans’ rejection the hardest.

“Ah, never mind, never mind,” Dongwoo laughed nervously. “Let’s just go back to the dorm and rest, huh?”

They startled as the car doors opened. Sunggyu and Myungsoo got in, hastily fastening their seatbelts. Dongwoo clenched his fists to see the red mark decorating Myungsoo’s cheek. Was it Gura who’d hit his dongsaeng? Dongwoo’s stomach coiled into knots at the remembrance that he’d once considered Gura a good friend. Today’s show had shown where Gura stood.

“Let’s go, hyung,” Sunggyu told the manager. Geonam nodded but didn’t start the car, seeming busy in replying to a message on his phone.

“Wait, what happened?” Woohyun demanded in a hiss, so as to not wake Sungjong. “Why has Myungsoo got hurt?”

“It’s nothing, hyung,” Myungsoo muttered. “Really, just leave it.”

“No, I want to know,” Woohyun said. “Gyu-hyung. What happened?”

Sunggyu sighed loudly. Dongwoo bit his lip, torn between wanting to know and not wanting to make Sunggyu more upset than he clearly was.

“Hyungdon hyung says we can’t film Weekly Idol,” Sunggyu said slowly. “I lost my temper and said some things, and when Park Myungsoo came to hit me, our Myungsoo got in the way.”

Heavy silence reigned in the car for a while. That was a huge blow, Dongwoo decided. Weekly Idol was their second home...to be told not to come...Tears prickled at Dongwoo’s eyes but he drew in a deep breath and forced a grin on his face.

“Okay,” he said with a clap of his hands. “Never mind! We will give our all at the awards night performance instead!”

No one said anything though Myungsoo reached forward to clasp his shoulder encouragingly. Woohyun and Hoya remained glum and Sungyeol looked close to crying.

“What are we going to do?” Sungyeol whispered. “I feel like everyone is turning against us. I can’t breathe.”

Dongwoo felt as though he’d swallowed a lump of wood that was splintering his throat. He pulled Sungyeol’s head to his chest, keeping the hug firm as he patted Sungyeol’s hair.

“We’re going to be fine,” Dongwoo said, trying not to let his voice crack. “Really. We will be fine.”

The car’s door opened again, making Dongwoo almost leap up. He blinked confusedly to see Shinee’s Key and Jonghun standing just outside with grim faces.

“Kibum-ah?” Woohyun leaned forward. “What are you - ”

“Shhh,” Key said frantically, “we haven’t got much time. Heechul hyung is covering for us.”

Jonghun leaned in the car, crouching down and hiding behind the car door. “We came to warn you.”

“Of what?” Hoya asked sharply. “If you’re here to threaten us – “

“No, listen!” Jonghun hissed. “Heechul overhead our CEO at a meeting yesterday. The CEO was talking about the awards night performance you’ll be doing next week. He said that he was going to find a way to spoil Infinite’s performance.”

“How?” Woohyun gasped.”What do you mean – “

“We don’t know much,” Key said. “Heechul hyung had to run away so that he wouldn’t be caught. But it sounds like he’s going to mess up your sound system or lighting or something. I don’t know, Woohyun-ah.”

Dongwoo’s heart was beating fast again. It seemed to do so more regularly nowadays, probably because of the fear constantly drowning him. Infinite needed to perform well at the awards night. They couldn’t afford to mess it up.

“Why are you helping us?” Sunggyu asked, a note of suspicion in his voice.

Jonghun smiled tightly. “I just want to show my support to the first outed idol.” He nodded towards where Sungjong was peacefully sleeping.

Key raked a hand through his hair. “Woohyun-ah, no matter what happens, you’re still my good friend, okay? I’m here for you, and hence, your team.”

Woohyun’s eyes teared as he nodded back and leaned to grasp Key’s hand. Dongwoo bowed as far as he could, words of thank you forming in his mouth, but when he lifted his head, the two idols were already gone. Zipping through the car park to get back to their own group.

Dongwoo closed the car door and watched as Geonam revved up the engine and started driving, his face even grimmer than before.

“Hyung, what do we do?” Woohyun asked. Dongwoo looked at Sunggyu’s tired, confused face in the rear-view mirror and answered Woohyun’s question himself.

“We get a new plan,” Dongwoo decided. “We’ll talk about it more once we get home.” He snuggled back in his seat and ordered in his most authoritative voice. “Everyone get some sleep now. No talking.”

Sunggyu met his eyes in the mirror and nodded his gratefulness. Dongwoo smiled back. He craned his neck slightly to allow for Sungyeol’s head to rest in the crock of his neck. Outside, it was pouring rain.

Dongwoo wondered when the sun would come back out.

 

* * *

 

Geonam accompanied them as they walked through the apartment’s main hallway, trying to shield them from the clicks of the camera. Even though Dongwoo didn’t feel like it, he smiled widely at the camping paparazzi, choosing to ignore questions flying around like “Are any other Infinite members gay?” “Will Sungjong leave Infinite?”

They eventually reached their room, Dongwoo finally breaking into a true smile at the sight of Sungjong rubbing the sleep from his eyes. But Dongwoo’s smile was wiped in an instant once he saw the sight that waited them.

“What’s going on?” Geonam roared at the busy men in their dorm. Dongwoo could only follow behind his manager, his jaw dropping at the sight of uniformed men packing up their belongings. Boxes were piled up by the door, the living room and what Dongwoo could see of the kitchen stripped completely bare.

Jungryoul manager was there and he hurried to Geonam, a distressed look on his face. “SM’s CEO – he ordered for Infinite to leave this apartment. It was under his lease anyway so he cancelled our boys’ contract to stay here. He’s arranged for alternative accommodation for the boys.”

“But this is our home,” Hoya whispered. “He can’t do this.”

“It’s a punishment, he said,” Jungryoul admitted. “He said that as long as Sunggyu doesn’t comply, this is what will happen.”

Dongwoo was busy hugging Myungsoo firmly, the younger boy looking as though he was about to drop to the floor. Out of all of them, Myungsoo was the one who had cherished this apartment the most, seeing it as a place big enough to keep them all together for a long time to come.

“Can’t we sign a new lease? Of our own,” Sunggyu asked the managers urgently.

Geonam shook his head. “All Woolim’s money is under lockdown right now while Jungyeop CEO is away. Jungyeop CEO had a deal that SM would pay for our promotions’ price.”

Sunggyu nodded slowly before muttering, “Fine...fine...we’ll just go to the alternative accommodation then.” He turned to face the rest of the group, “It’s fine.”

He sounded as though he was trying to convince himself too. Dongwoo forced a laugh, “Yeah guys, this might be nice too. It’s a change of scenery.”

No one laughed with him and it was a morose group that waited for the delivery men to finish their packing, before heading back to the managers’ car. Dongwoo felt empty inside. As though he was literally detached from everything. But he tried to keep the slight smile on his face.

Sunggyu once told him that he was Infinite’s sunshine, and without him, the rest of Infinite would just be stumbling in their gloomy darkness, unable to find each other. It was a comment made years ago, a set of drunken words said while they were partying. Nevertheless, Dongwoo remembered.

But right now, smiling had never been so hard.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Geonam hissed to Jungryoul as he read the sheet of paper the other manager had handed him. “ _This_ is their _“new”_ address?”

Jungryoul shrugged helpless, and Dongwoo felt a deep sense of foreboding.

They got into the car again – and Dongwoo was beginning to get fed up of the car’s dull interior and too cold air conditioning. The ride took over an hour, another traffic jam having occurred on the streets. Dongwoo saw the news reporters taking photos of them, even in the car, but felt too exhausted to protest.

Eventually, they reached a very familiar area. Dongwoo thought that it was a coincidence at first but as the manager began to take a new route, Dongwoo’s fears were confirmed.

“No,” Woohyun and Hoya said simultaneously. “No, no, no, no – “

There was a buzzing in Dongwoo’s ears but he shook his head once and it was gone.

“I can’t believe this,” Sunggyu said faintly.

“I refuse,” Sungyeol yelled. “I completely refuse! How dare they!”

Geonam pulled up in front of the house, just behind the removal van waiting for them, and bowed his head. “I’m sorry, kids. There’s no other choice.”

“We could pay for our own hotels,” Myungsoo suggested. “Or stay with our friends.”

“No, we need to stay together,” said Sunggyu. “We need to practice more than ever for the performance next week. And if we pay for our own hotels, we’d waste so much money. Jungyeop CEO might not be back for a month. Are we going to pay for a month?”

Everyone dropped their protests, though it was more because of the slightly hysterical note that had entered their leader’s voice rather than his reasoning. Dongwoo followed Sunggyu and Woohyun up the all too familiar stairs (he used to sit here at night and look at the stars) which led to the front door. The knob had always needed just the right amount of force to open the door (a gentle squeeze followed by a hard tug) and Dongwoo’s hand had not forgotten it. He shouldered the door open and stepped into their old house.

Despite having had no one live there for a few years now, the place still looked clean, and Dongwoo supposed he should be partly thankful for that. He and Woohyun stared at the tiny living room, and Dongwoo wondered if his best friend was remembering those memories too.

The corner where they liked to spread a mat and lay down, the spot where they had the banana prank for Sesame Player, the kitchen where they let all their washing cluster until they had to do it because of the bad smell. Woohyun and Sungyeol had to scoop out mouldy cheese-milk from the sink once, Dongwoo remembered.

“Wow,” Dongwoo murmured. “We’re back here, huh?”

He glanced around at the others, who all looked as though they had entered a prison cell with a tiger.

“Let’s start unloading, okay?” Dongwoo said gently. The members stared at him for a few seconds before moving.

Everyone automatically moved to their old rooms – Woohyun and Sunggyu sharing, Myungsoo and Dongwoo sharing, and the other three in the smallest room. It felt like old times again, but it left a bad taste in Dongwoo’s mouth.

No one unpacked fully – as though they were itching for a quick escape from the mould infested house. Dongwoo saw how Sunggyu left his clothes in his box, how Hoya refused to put his toothpaste and brushes in the bathroom, how Woohyun barely unpacked his personal things at all. But Dongwoo unloaded their plates and started filling the kitchen cabinets, grimacing at the cobwebs inside.

They were all done in a few hours and the place almost looked like it did during Sesame Player era but without so much personal belongings cluttering the space and far more boxes lining up the room. The daylight outside had almost completely gone and he switched the lights on, sighing as the outside light for the porch didn’t work.

Sungjong was cooking in the kitchen, making some noodles for everyone. He didn’t allow anyone in to help him, telling them to go rest instead. Sweat beaded Sungjong’s forehead, and there was a hollow look in his eyes that Dongwoo didn’t like.

He went into the kitchen, ignoring Sungjong’s protest and stood by the cooker silently until -

“Jongie,” Dongwoo said gently, “how are you feeling?”

Sungjong wiped his brow and stirred the pot again, before letting out a deep shuddering breath. “I wish I didn’t exist.”

His voice cracked at the last syllable, but he sniffed and took a moment to compose himself before placing the blank face back on. Dongwoo took a deep breath and lunged forward to hug Sungjong tightly. The maknae was not a touchy-feely person at all but to Dongwoo’s surprise, Sungjong hugged him back tightly.

“I’m sorry, hyung,” Sungjong mumbled brokenly into Dongwoo’s slowly dampening shoulder.

Dongwoo squeezed tightly, worried about the bones he could feel through Sungjong’s shirt. “Yah, Sungjong ah. Aren’t you tired of apologising by now?”

“It’s not that, hyung,” Sungjong sighed. “I’m just so upset that I’ve brought our group down to this level.”

“It wasn’t you, Jongie,” Dongwoo whispered.

He’d been confused at first, sure that Sungjong was in the wrong for being gay. He had understood the entertainment industry’s rage and why everyone reacted so badly. Though he couldn’t bring himself to scold Sungjong over it when the younger had been so broken hearted.

But the more he had looked at that photo of Sungjong kissing the other guy, the more he realised. Because there was nothing but adoration in the photo Sungjong’s face. It was a simple moment of love that seemed equal to any other type of love Dongwoo had seen.

And it was becoming more and more clear to him as to who were the good guys and the bad guys here.

Sungjong was most certainly just an innocent victim in this.

Dongwoo pulled slightly away from the maknae to look him in the eye. “Yah, Sungjong ah. Can’t you see? We’re all living, we’re breathing, we’re together. It’s normal to have obstacles in our life. It’s how we deal with them that’s important. And right now, we’re doing great.”

Sungjong smiled slightly, “Hyung, you talk like a philosopher.”

“My next job once I get old.” Dongwoo laughed. He nudged Sungjong, feeling giddy that he’s managed to cheer Sungjong up somewhat. “Hey, tell me the truth. You’re the perfect person to judge! If we rank the other members...how handsome am I?”

“Hyung!” Sungjong snorted and batted Dongwoo’s arm with a frying pan. “Get out!”

“Yah!” Dongwoo giggled and he was pushed out of the kitchen. “Yah! Tell me!”

“Last place,” Sungjong said firmly and went back to mind the cooking with a slight spring in his step.

Once he got laughing, Dongwoo couldn’t stop and he raced around the house, hugging everyone he saw on the way, despite their lack of response. Finally, he found the person he was looking for. Sunggyu was in the middle of fixing the curtains so that no one outside would be able to look in.

“Hyung, let’s get everyone to sit together for dinner,” said Dongwoo, leaping forward to hug Sunggyu from the back.

Sunggyu sighed. “But we’ll have to get straight back to practising after dinner. We’ve already lost too much time today.”

“No hyung,” Dongwoo said firmly. “Tonight, everyone needs to rebuild themselves and relax.”

“How can we relax like this?” Sunggyu wrenched Dongwoo’s arms from around his waist and turning around. “The performance is next week and bloody SM wants us to go down in flames! Stop being so naive, Dongwoo-ah!”

Dongwoo met Sunggyu’s glare calmly. He’d never liked it when someone got angry with him. It always made him cry or tremble. But he’d never been afraid of Sunggyu’s temper. Maybe it was because Dongwoo had always seen himself and Sunggyu as the parents of the group. Woohyun was of course the deputy to Sunggyu’s leader, but Dongwoo liked to think that Sunggyu could lean on him too.

“Hyung,” Dongwoo said, “the kids are really upset. They need some time off. Otherwise it will do more damage in the long run.”

Sunggyu stared at him for a while before closing his eyes and exhaling loudly. “Yeah...yeah, okay...sorry.”

Dongwoo dismissed the apology with a laugh. He hugged Sunggyu tightly, lifting him off his feet before running to call everyone into the tiny living room.

* * *

 

Sungjong’s cooking was good as usual but no one seemed to have much of an appetite. Dongwoo heaped plenty of food for himself and Sungjong, glad to see that the maknae at least was eating a good amount.

There were all kneeling on the floor around the coffee table. Dongwoo slurped his noodles noisily and put his finished bowl on the table. Everyone seemed mostly finished eating, and Sunggyu was frowning at his laptop on his lap.

“Everyone,” Dongwoo said cheerily, “let’s play a game.”

His good mood seemed to be catching because the other members didn’t protest against it. Grinning widely, Dongwoo took his two chopsticks and asked.

“What are these?”

“Don’t know,” Woohyun was beginning to grin slightly despite the pain he must be feeling from his cut lip. “What are they?”

“My Wolverine claws!” Dongwoo yelled, slipping the chopsticks in between his fingers.

Everyone laughed, albeit slightly quietly. But Dongwoo was happy enough to see the starts of smiles on his members’ faces. He passed the chopsticks to Hoya, whose eyebrows were deeply furrowed.

“These are not chopsticks,” Hoya said slowly, “they are...my moustache!” He placed the chopsticks above his upper lip, collapsing into giggles at the roar of laughter.

“My turn!” Sungyeol snatched the chopsticks eagerly. “These aren’t chopsticks...they’re my fangs!”

Dongwoo clapped, falling against Myungsoo who seemed to be struggling to breathe from the laughter. Warmth blossomed in Dongwoo’s chest. Who needed the sun when the members’ laughter lit up his world? Dongwoo giggled, reminding himself to never repeat something so cheesy out loud. Especially not in front of Woohyun.

“Kids,” Sunggyu said suddenly.”Come see this!”

Everyone instantly clustered around, whacking at the other to get into the best position.

“Our fansite followers...it’s gone up,” Myungsoo said with wonder. “And our MV’s youtube count! It’s past two million now!”

Dongwoo peered past Hoya’s shoulder and gasped. The numbers, which had halved upon the revelation of Sungjong’s secret, was almost close to the original number. And rapidly increasing still!

“Look at the comments!” Hoya said with wonder.  

Sungyeol laughed and began reading them out.

_“Infinite fighting! The hyungs defending their maknae on the show today was so cute!”_

_“Sungjong, your noona fans are here to protect you too!”_

_“Really, Infinite’s strong brothership was why I fell for them! I was against Infinite after the scandal broke out but today showed me that I am wrong instead! Leader-nim’s words are truly wise!”_

_“Did anyone see Woohyun and Hoya oppa looking beaten up?!!! I’ll kill their attackers!”_

_“From Bangladesh here, and any Inspirits that turned against Infinite because of this should be ashamed of themselves! Sungjong is perfection and I will always support Infinite!”_

Woohyun squealed and rolled around the floor, laughing maniacally. “They’re coming back! My girlfriends are coming back to me!” He grabbed the laptop off Sunggyu’s lap and hugged it to his chest. “Don’t ever leave me again! My precious Inspirits, Oppa will tie you up if you try to leave me again!”

“Hyung, that’s perverted,” Myungsoo said with distaste, ducking a kick from Woohyun’s feet.

Dongwoo laughed, slapping Woohyun’s arm to try and get the laptop off him. His heart felt lighter than it had been in days. The problem wasn’t over, Dongwoo knew. They still had to deal with the discrimination from the others in the industry, from SM’s CEO revenge. They still needed to ensure a perfect performance next week.

But for now...just with everyone smiling, with everyone happy...

Just for now...

It was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments! Exams season is coming up and I need comments to keep me going haha! xxx


	7. Hoya

Hoya was desperately trying to ignore the soft whispers coming from the bunk above him, but it was impossible not to. Not even Sungyeol’s loud snores downed Sungjong’s voice out and Hoya found each word seeping into his ears.

“I’m fine, ma. Really. We’re just so busy practicing for the performance tomorrow that I didn’t have time to call you.”

Hoya cleared his throat loudly and turned to sleep on his side. His leg muscles and lower back screamed in protest, reminding him just how hard he’d worked that day. The awards day performance was tomorrow and as the group’s main dancer, Hoya had taken it upon himself to make sure he was going to be perfect.

“Mum, I’ll call you back. Just ignore those headlines please, ma. I’m fine...yes, I love you too ma.”

Hoya sighed in relief as Sungjong clicked his phone close. The bunkbed creaked loudly as Sungjong shifted position again.

“Hyung, haven’t you slept yet?”

Hoya startled. He considered pretending to be sleeping but he knew that Sungjong would be able to tell instantly. They’d shared rooms plenty of time enough to know each other’s breathing rhythm when sleeping.

“No,” Hoya replied. “But go to sleep, Jongie...it’s a big day tomorrow.”

Sungjong hummed in assent. “We’ve worked hard for tomorrow, haven’t we, hyung?”

Hoya rolled his eyes. “More like we’ve been slave driven by a cranky leader for a week now.”

“Hyung, you’ve been just as bad as Sunggyu hyung.”

Hoya smirked. Sunggyu had asked for his help in making sure that Infinite was ready for anything SM could throw at them, and oddly touched by the leader’s faith in him, Hoya didn’t spare anyone of his lecturing. They had to prepare for everything after all, being completely in the dark about how SM’s CEO planned to ruin their performance.

“It’s good that your parents are supportive of you,” Hoya said after a while of silence.

“They always knew,” Sungjong said. “When I was eight, I told them I had a crush on the guy in the Titanic instead of the girl.”

Hoya laughed and turned onto his back. He raised his leg and nudged at the mattress above him. “But why didn’t you tell me anything?”

Sungjong sighed. “I just had no reason to. We’re always so busy with work and...I guess, I didn’t know how you’d take it.”

“I played that gay role once,” Hoya said, trying to ignore the slight sting of Sungjong not trusting him enough.

“I know you’d still love me the same, hyung,” said Sungjong warmly, as though he knew how Hoya felt.  “But I didn’t want to add to your worries. To the team’s worries.”

Hoya smiled up at mattress above. “Doesn’t matter now, huh?...At least you’re not crying nowadays.”

“I’m not going to cry anymore.” Sungjong’s voice had changed, sounding deeper and firmer. “I’ve cried enough about this whole mess. It’s time I stood up for myself and for all of you.”

 “Wow. Looks like we don’t have to worry anymore with you to look after us.”

“I’m being serious, hyung. I won’t let you all get hurt anymore.”

Hoya wondered if the blaze of warmth through his chest resembled the same pride a father would have to see their son all grown up. He paused and kicked at the mattress again.

“Hey, get some sleep. We’ll need it for tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, hyung.”

Silence reigned for a few minutes, broken only by Sungyeol’s snores and the distant sound of Myungsoo rolling on the floor. Hoya bit his lip but couldn’t suppress the urge anymore. “But Jongie...if we rank the other members, how handsome am I?”

“Last place.” The snap in Sungjong’s words almost made Hoya jump.

“But come on! I’m definitely better looking than Sunggyu hyu – “

“Hyung. Go to  sleep,” Sungjong seemed to speak through clenched teeth.

The warning growl in Sungjong’s tone made Hoya grin and he slept easily for the rest of the night.

* * *

 

“You look anxious,” Hoya commented.

“Anxious? I’m not anxious.” Sungyeol drummed his fingers on his knee while tapping his feet repeatedly. A small frown was beginning to make its way across Sunggyu’s brow and Hoya knew that the oldest boy would snap soon.

“Calm down.” Hoya leaned across to clasp Sungyeol’s hand. “We’re going to be fine. Think about it – we know our dance moves inside out.”

“But not what they’ll do to us,” Sungyeol said through gritted teeth. They were sat in the limousine heading for the awards’ hall, and the high air con wind seemed to have heightened Sungyeol’s nerves.

“They’re hardly going send assasins to murder us in the elevator, are they?” Myungsoo said with an eye roll.

“Now that would be wrong on so many levels,” Hoya quipped and he laughed awkwardly at the groans that followed.

Hoya felt his stomach churn as the car reached the red carpet, where thousands of fans seem to be gathered. He could see movie and tv stars already posing for the cameras on the red carpet, and caught a glimpse of MBLAQ heading into the giant hall.

“Time to go,” Sunggyu said, straightening his tie. “Just keep your heads up and walk with a straight back. Remember to smile and – Sungyeol, for God’s sake, put those sunglasses away!”

“It’ll make us look cool!”

“Only jerks wear sunglasses at night.” Woohyun said solemnly and yanked the glasses away from Sungyeol.

They got out at the front of the red carpet, and Hoya was relieved to hear some cheering for them – though it did feel significantly less than before. The press swarmed around them, kept at bay by the beefy bodyguards. Hoya straightened his back and walked behind Sungjong, who had his head held high.

As instructed by the managers, Hoya ignored all the questions aimed at him, focusing on posing and smiling for the cameras instead. He noticed that the show presenter, Hodong, was just ahead of them on the carpet. He smiled at the older man, who he’d kept in contact with after the “Cool kidz” filming. An ugly expression crossed Hodong’s face and the presenter quickly glanced away. 

“Hoya,” Sunggyu hissed, “stop it with the bitch-face.”

“I didn’t even know I was doing it.”

“When do you ever?” Woohyun murmured, garnering a giggle from Dongwoo.

“I just want to get on stage,” Hoya said back, squinting at the countless camera flashes. He hated this wait, he hated the disapproval that seemed to surround their every step, he hated that his once friends were turning their backs on him.

They just needed to get on stage. Quickly.

* * *

 

Some of the Running Man cast smiled at them as they got into their stage positions. Hoya tried to smile back but his mind was already racing through their dancing steps. The stage was huge and well lit. Right in front, were clusters of tables seating the celebrities. The audience stands surrounding the space in the middle seemed to stretch on for miles. They were shrouded in gloom but Hoya felt his heart lift to see the occasional Infinite hand-sign glowing.

Hoya took his position behind Sunggyu and felt his shoulders relax as the music started.

It was time to shine.

The first verse went smoothly, though the physical exertion was already starting to take its toll on Hoya’s body. He gulped in air in the short seconds where he was stationary but the tightness of his chest remained.

Then the second verse began and Hoya could immediately tell the difference.

 _Ah,_ Hoya thought, _it’s starting._

The background music wavered and jumped a few beats ahead. That was okay. They’d anticipated that, and Hoya smoothly slid into the routine for that particular beat. The other members mimicked him and their dance steps flowed into one.

The music jumped ahead again. Cleverly this time - at a part where no one sang, so that the audience wouldn’t be able to pick up the deceiving error. Hoya grimaced, internally mourning that tiny routine of the dance where he’d jerk his hip, but like the other members, transitioned smoothly into the next sequence. 

Hoya glimpsed SM’s CEO’s darkening expression and fought back a wide grin. _You’d have to do better than that to beat us, Kim Parksoo._

It was Sunggyu’s turn to sing and as always, Hoya felt a thrill surge through him to hear his leader’s powerful voice. Sunggyu’s vocals were on point tonight and as Woohyun joined in, the duo together sounded nothing short of perfection.

Hoya couldn’t hide the rasp of his throat as he sang his line, but he still sounded good, he thought and he saw some approving faces in the audience as he belted out the rap lines.

It was a powerful song after all. “Attack”. And Hoya could feel the members’ anger and resentment being translated into the powerfully sharp dance moves, into the words they sung with venom in their voice, into the dark faces they put on. Hoya worried slightly as to whether they were intimidating the audience, but from what he could see, most looked mesmerised instead.

The acrobatic part of their routine started and Hoya found himself internally praying that nothing would happen. It was difficult enough to do this bit under normal conditions.

He was paired with Sungjong and the maknae seemed to be on fire, radiating fierceness and absolute confidence. Hoya hid a smile and caught Sungjong as he dropped backwards before placing the maknae onto the floor and doing a handstand over Sungjong’s head, revelling in the audience’s gasp.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see Woohyun and Sungyeol doing the same with Sunggyu and Myungsoo, while Dongwoo did a complicated solo at the front. Hoya gritted his teeth as his muscles strained and sweat poured into his eyes.

They did a few more acrobatics in the same vein until they finally gathered in the middle of the stage to do their scorpion dance. It was choreographed to be a throwback to the old times – a way to remind both the fans and everyone else just why Infinite were the renowned dancing idols. 

Hoya made sure he was in sync with the others as he laid himself prostrate on the floor before lifting a leg up and bending the other, and using his arms to push himself off the floor. He was just halfway into raising himself to his full height when the ground shook.

Someone cried out in pain – the sound horribly amplified and distorted by the mic. Hoya lost his balance and fell to the floor, gasping as the breath was slammed out of him. The ground hadn’t moved, Hoya realised as he hastily picked himself up. The actual stage they were on had moved – someone had purposely pressed a button to cause that violent shudder of their platform.

Stifling the ire rising in him, he carried on the dance. To his relief, his fellow members had recovered quickly too and joined him with the moves. They were nearing the closing of their song but Woohyun was singing instead of Sunggyu.

Hoya glanced back quickly and clenched his jaw to see Sunggyu’s face, pale and contorted into a mask of agony. The leader was still dancing in time with the others but there was no mistaking the wince each time he had to move his feet .

Right ankle, Hoya quickly diagnosed. It must have sprained when the stage moved.

Hoya willed the song to end. The last two lines seemed to last forever and it suddenly felt as though the number of dance moves had tripled. _Just a little longer hyung..._ He could see the tenseness and worry he felt mirrored on his teammates’ faces.

The performance finally came to an end and Hoya breathed a sigh of relief. It took a while for the pounding in ears to die down so that he could actually hear the thundering applause. Hoya panted hard, trying to get his breathing under control and stop his heart from hammering so hard against his rib cage. Most of the applause seemed to be coming from the girls sitting in the audience stands. He smiled widely and waved at the Insprits who were cheering louder than ever, probably trying to drown out some of the jeers Hoya could hear from the far side of the hall.

The celebrities right in front of the stage sat stony faced – probably having been warned by their agencies not to show their support. Hoya barely gave them a glance. It didn’t matter. Infinite still had some of their fans on their side, and that was enough for now.

He did notice A-pink’s Bomi and Sistar’s Hyorin and Bora smiling at the stage warmly. And Hyungdon – despite his refusal to let them on Weekly Idol – had an intensely proud look on his face.

It was time to leave the stage and Hoya hurried to join the others as they made their way backstage. Sunggyu was limping heavily, an arm wrapped around Woohyun’s shoulder for support. But despite the pained grimaces, Sunggyu seemed to be in high sprits.

“We did it!” Sunggyu said excitedly. He high fived Hoya and wrapped an arm around Sungjong’s shoulders. “We beat them!”

Dongwoo laughed hysterically and hugged Myungsoo tightly, lifting the boy off the ground. “We did it!”

They went into the changing room and was greeted by loud, enthusiastic cheers. Hoya grinned widely at the clapping managers and staff and hugged a few of them warmly.

“Everything went smoothly,” Geonam was telling Sunggyu as he saw to the boy’s ankle. “Even when the stage shook and you all fell – it was obvious that it was the technical crew’s fault and you showed how quickly you recovered too.”

Hoya took a deep breath and sat down. His muscles felt as though someone had branded them with a hot iron and his lungs felt as though they were on fire. But the performance had gone so well, and that settled everything for him. It was worth it – all their hard work had finally paid off. Now, surely no one could imagine a kpop world without Infinite in it.

* * *

 

They dressed in casual clothes when the time came for them to leave. Though in a lot of the members’ case, casual clothes meant clothes that had cost a smaller fortune than the usual clothes they had. Hoya rolled his eyes at the grey sweater Sunggyu pulled on. It had cost the leader over a thousand pounds.

“Don’t you feel weighed down from all that money?” Hoya asked Sunggyu.  

“At least I’m dressed for the event,” scoffed Sunggyu as he pulled his sock over his freshly bandaged ankle. “You’d fit right in at the backstreets of a night market.”

Hoya  resisted the urge to stick out his tongue, his emotions greatly buoyed by their success. Instead he went over to Sungjong, who like him, had dressed modestly. Hoya supposed that for once, the maknae didn’t want to draw attention to himself.

“Let’s go,” said Hoya and Sungjong nodded with a surety Hoya approved of.

The seven of them left the coordi noonas to pack up the rest of the things and headed into the maze of backstage corridors with just the managers. Other idols were leaving too, and Hoya thought he saw some thumbs up and encouraging winks. He couldn’t stop the wide smile that spread across his face, though the smile quickly vanished to see the other idols’ scathing looks and angry glares.

“Sunggyu!”

Hyungdon was hurrying towards them, causing all of Infinite to stop in the middle of the corridor. Hoya sighed and leaned against the table by the fire exit stairwell.

“Hyungnim,” Sunggyu said coldly as he bowed.

“Ah kids, that performance was brilliant!” Hyungdon gushed. “You were all perfectly synchronised! Ah, it felt so good to watch.”

Sunggyu bowed again. “We’re happy to match your standards, hyungnim.”

Hyungdon’s face fell at the roboticness of Sunggyu’s voice. He glanced at the others but Hoya couldn’t bring himself to even smile at the older man. Despite Hyungdon’s praises, he had shown where he stood regarding Sungjong, and Hoya wondered if he’d ever be able to forgive that.

An awkward silence lingered wherein Hyungdon fumbled for something to say and Sunggyu kept his face impassive. Clearing his throat, Hyungdon took out his car keys and wave them.

“I’m going to head home now, do any of you want a lift with me?”

Hoya would have sniggered if Sunggyu wasn’t just next to him. It was almost amusing to see Hyungdon try so hard to get back into Infinite’s, and most likely specifically Sunggyu’s good graces. Hoya glanced to the side and could see Sunggyu starting to waver.

“We don’t live at the apartment anymore, hyung,” Woohyun said lowly.

“What?” Hyungdon frowned. “Then where are you staying now?”

Hoya opened his mouth to reply when a loud commotion from further up the corridor distracted him.

 

> **“Everybody stay where you are! This is the police!”**

Hoya watched, open mouthed, as a small group of suited men headed straight for them. The leader of the gang, a tall beefy man with sly eyes and a cruelly crooked mouth, stopped just in front of Infinite and pulled out his badge.

“Lee Sungjong. I am Detective Inspector Xioumin and you are under arrest for the hacking of secret and sensitive governmental data.”

Hoya gaped at him, repeating the sentence in his head to make sure that he had heard right. “What?”

The managers surged forward quickly, putting up a sort of barrier between the detectives and Infinite’s members. Hoya stared at Geonam’s back blankly. This couldn’t be happening...

“You can’t be serious,” Geonam said with a scoff. “Why the hell would Sungjong hack into government data? He doesn’t even know how!”

“We have all the evidence we need,” said Xioumin with a dark smile. “Lee Sungjong will be placed under arrest and put in prison under the set date for his court jury exactly one month from now.”

“This is a joke,” Jungryoul manager said with a disbelieving laugh. “This is a joke! Which one of you set this up?” He glared at the people around but the celebrities looked just as dumbstruck as Hoya felt. Shinee and Super Junior were watching the scene with their jaws dropped, some Girl Generation members looked ready to cry and the Running Man cast wore confused expressions.

“The court date is set for a month from now,” Xioumin repeated. “Sungjong will now follow us to prison.”

“But what about bail – “

“The evidence is so strong that the possibility of bail has been rejected,” interjected Xioumin smoothly.

Geonam strode forward, his expression more livid than Hoya had ever seen him. “You can’t be serious! What do you think happens to a male idol in jail?”

“Lee Sungjong should have thought of that before hacking into unauthorised information,” said Xioumin. “Now move. He’s under arrest.”

Was this what falling was like? Hoya wondered. It felt as though the ground had been ripped from under his feet and he was in freefall, coming down from the happiness that had previously filled him. Not even horror or shock welled up in him. Everything just felt unreal. This couldn’t possibly be happening.

A firm touch to his hand startled him back into reality, and Hoya became conscious for the first time of just how quiet his team had been. None of them had moved from their positions, as though they had been rooted into the ground. But their heads had turned without the detectives noticing. Their eyes were on Sunggyu, and Sunggyu’s hand, Hoya realised, was what was gripping his own hand tightly.

Sungjong was stood on Sunggyu’s left, and Hoya felt a chill go down his spine to see the sheer terror on Sungjong’s face.

 _It’s going to be okay,_ Hoya wanted to say. But the words got stuck in the lump embedded in his throat. Instead, he could only watch as Sunggyu slowly joined his and Sungjong’s hands together.

Sungjong’s hand was clammy with sweat but Hoya gripped it tightly anyway. He looked into Sunggyu’s eyes and found that he could understand the message the leader was trying to convey.

_Take Sungjong and run._

Hoya breathed out deeply. The fear and anger gnawing at his insides didn’t go away, but the cloudiness in his head was starting to dissipate. Of course. Sungjong needed to run. But the youngest would never survive out there by himself, which was why Sunggyu had placed the responsibility of looking after Sungjong firmly on Hoya’s shoulders.

Hoya felt as though his knees would buckle with the sudden burden but his body straightened instinctively as he felt Sungjong’s hand shake. He could do this.

The managers and detectives’ voices rose as they yelled at each. Xioumin seemed to find a perverse pleasure in listing exactly why and how Sungjong will be carted away. Hoya dulled the voices out, in favour of looking at his members faces.

Woohyun’s face was tight, as though a storm was raging within him. Dongwoo looked like a young child lost in the market. Myungsoo seemed about to throw up and Sungyeol was visibly shaking. But their eyes all stared at Sungjong and Hoya and the sadness Hoya could see in them broke his heart.

They always said they could get through anything together. What would happen now that they had to part?

Hoya forced himself to look at Sunggyu and the grim calmness and trust on the leader’s face settled Hoya’s nerves.

 _I’ll look after him, hyung_ , Hoya tried to say with a nod.

Sunggyu nodded back and he might also have smiled, before he cocked his head to the side and signalled for Hoya to follow the direction of his gaze. It led to the car keys loosely held in Hyungdon’s hand, as the MC’s complete attention rested on the detectives.

 _Ah,_ Hoya thought tiredly, _that’s the way out._

“Hey!” Xioumin’s voice cut through the bubble that had shrouded Infinite’s members. “What’re you lot doing?”

The detective’s glared was focused on Hoya and Sungjong’s interlocked hands. Hoya took a deep breath in –

“NOW!” Sunggyu yelled.

The phrase “all hell broke loose” would have fit the situation aptly, was Hoya’s last thought. Sungyeol and Myungsoo moved as a unit and upended a nearby dining table straight at the incoming detectives. Woohyun and Dongwoo rushed forward, rugby tackling the other detectives who were beginning to draw out their guns.

Hoya quickly grabbed Hyungdon’s car keys off him, ignoring the startled yelp that followed. He hurried Sungjong towards the exit door, already held open by Sunggyu.

“Hyung, wait! You’ll all get in trouble - ” Sungjong gasped, reaching towards Sunggyu.

“Go!” Sunggyu yelled and Hoya obliged, dragging the younger boy behind him. They went through the door and raced down the empty stairs. Hoya heard a loud slam from behind him and a half glance back showed that Sunggyu and Woohyun had shut the exit door and were using their bodies to prevent the detectives from going through it. Furious yells and screams reached Hoya’s ears.

“Come on,” Hoya said through clenched teeth. Tears prickled at his eyes but he refused to let them fall.

“We can’t just leave them!” Sungjong exclaimed tearfully.

“They’ll be fine,” said Hoya. They reached the bottom of the stairs and he kicked down the old rusting door leading to the car park. “You, on the other hand, won’t be if you land in the police’s hands. Come on!”

 _Get to the car, get to the car, get to the car,_ Hoya repeated the mantra. He could see Hyungdon’s car in the far end of the car park and he run as hard as he could, all the while pulling Sungjong along. From the corner of his eyes, he could see uniformed men closing in on him from the sides. Hoya gritted his teeth and ran faster, all his already aching muscles now on fire.

_Get to the car, get to the car, get to the car -_

“Sungjong, quickly!”

_Get to the car, get to the car, get to the car -_

“Hyung!”

“Come on!”

_Get to the car, get to the car, get to the car –_

BANG

“HYUNG!”

Pain exploded in Hoya’s shoulder. He staggered back in time to Sungjong’s scream of horror, but he didn’t let go of Sungjong’s hand and kept moving forward. He couldn’t understand why his shoulder was suddenly damp with something thick or why Sungjong wouldn’t stop crying. Ignoring the stabbing pain, he kept running.

_Get to the car, get to the car, get to the car –_

_Please..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I am hugely dependent on your comments to keep going! Please do share your opinions! And thank you so much to those who already do! xxx
> 
> Next chapter: Sungyeol - Interrogation.


	8. Sungyeol

Sungyeol saw Sunggyu and Woohyun barricading the door that Hoya and Sungjong had just disappeared through. Two detectives were trying to pull the main vocals away but Sunggyu and Woohyun held on firm. Another detective tried to go past Sungyeol towards the door but Sungyeol grabbed her arm and tripped her.

Myungsoo yelled out in shock and Sungyeol’s head jerked to find out why. The younger boy was gasping on the floor, clutching his stomach, winded by the detective stood over him. Sungyeol saw a mist of red and he sprinted forward to knock the detective to the ground. His height gave him an advantage to meet the detective head on and a strong shove sent the detective barrelling over.  

“Pick on someone your own size,” Sungyeol muttered. Adrenaline surged through him, and he clenched his fists, ready for a fight, ready to do anything to stop these so called law enforcers from getting to Sungjong.

“Arrest the brats!” Xioumin cursed loudly. He barged towards Sunggyu and Woohyun, but was intercepted by Dongwoo tripping him up with a chair that he slid across the floor.

But the order had already been given and Sungyeol found himself tackled to the ground by two heavy men. He cursed and tried to get up but someone kneed him in the gut and another placed their full weight on his back leaving him breathless. A hand pulled at his hair painfully as his already sore arms were wrenched behind his back and cold metal bit into his skin.

“Get off him!” Sungyeol heard Myungsoo cry before a pained yelp indicated a similar situation was happening to him. Sungyeol gritted his teeth and raised his head in time to see Dongwoo shoved face first towards a wall and be restrained there.

“Hyung!” Sungyeol yelled. He made his body lax so that the policemen would not be able to easily lift him to his feet.

Woohyun cried out and Sungyeol’s breath caught in his throat to see the older boy being dragged away from the firedoor by his hair. When Woohyun refused to give up his grip on the door handle, a detective punched him in the stomach and another stepped in to strike Woohyun’s neck, finally causing the boy to crash to the ground and be handcuffed.

That left only the leader to guarding the door and Sungyeol screamed louder that he ever had before as Xioumin punched Sunggyu in the face, causing Sunggyu’s head to ricochet against the door. The other members screamed their fury in time with him as Xioumin and a few other detectives started a relentless battering attack on Sunggyu’s body.

“Don’t you touch him!” Sungyeol screamed as he was forced to his feet.

“You bastards!” Myungsoo’s face was twisted in a mask of wild anger. “Get off him, you fucking bastards!”

“Hyung!” Woohyun struggled viciously with the hands holding him.

Sunggyu didn’t let go of the door handle, buying time for Hoya and Sungjong’s escape. From the corner of his eyes, Sungyeol could see the managers fighting and shouting at the detectives, though there were no attempts made to arrest them.

It was too noisy, Sungyeol thought almost absently. Most of the female idols who had been standing by, were now screaming and crying. Yoo Jaesuk and Song Jihyo had run forwards and were trying to talk to Xioumin, their faces outraged. Sungyeol bit his tongue to see Jang Dongmin nd Noh Hong Chul stand by with bored expressions and almost like smirks forming on their faces.

Hyungdon was yelling at the detectives, flinching each time a detective kicked at Sunggyu. He tried to manoeuvre past them to get to Sunggyu, but the detectives held him back, ignoring his cursing.

Sunggyu received another blow to his mid stomach, and finally let go of the door, face contorted into pain and his body curled up on the floor. Detectives stormed through while Xioumin arrested Sunggyu.

“Get off them!” f(X)’s Amber yelled, shaking off her manager’s hands. “You’re hurting them!”

Most faces were shocked. Super Junior’s Henry was as white as a sheet, completely horrified and frozen to the spot. BTS Rapmon seemed as though he wanted to step in but his friends were holding him back, looking terrified of the police themselves.

Sungyeol breathed out slowly, trying to ignore the pain wracking his body. He glanced at Myungsoo and saw that the younger was relatively unhurt, compared to Dongwoo who had blood streaming down from his nose, and Woohyun, whose face was a myriad of bruises. Sunggyu was being dragged to his feet by Xioumin, and he couldn’t suppress his pained cry as his injured ankle was forced to support him fully.

“Sunggyu-ah!” Hyungdon bounded forward to help but was again blocked by the police.

“This is the most blatant scene of police brutality I have ever seen!” Jaesuk was yelling. “How can you hurt these boys like this! You are in no position to – “

“Take them to the station!” Xioumin roared after listening to his radio. Sungyeol could only hope that it meant that Hoya and Sungjong had escaped. He allowed the police to escort him out with the other members, his face colouring at some of the scornful looks he could see.

Sungyeol prayed that the police would take them out through the back entrance but his hopes were dashed as he was brought to the front of the hall. He closed his eyes and tried to drown out the fans’ screams of panic and horror. He could hear cries of _“Oppa! Are you okay?”_ and _“Let them go! How dare you hurt them?”_

Their concern warmed Sungyeol’s heart somewhat but he was too exhausted and shocked to fully appreciate it, and it was almost a relief to get into the quietness that greeted him in the police van.

* * *

 

They were bandaged and plastered at the police station by a kind looking doctor who gave Xioumin a silent glare when she saw them. Sungyeol squeezed her hand gently in a gesture of thank you just before she left.

The handcuffs had been removed once they reached the police station. But it didn’t matter, Sungyeol thought tiredly, plenty of photos were probably already circulating around of them getting arrested. He dimly wondered what his parents would think about it, but the anxiety churning his stomach calmed at the thought of his mother. She had always been a kind lady who had his back. And Sungyeol was sure that she’d support him in his actions to save a friend.

Sunggyu had an arm around Myungsoo and was trying to comfort the boy. Woohyun’s head lolled on Dongwoo’s shoulder as they both stared into the distance listlessly. Sungyeol perked up when he heard Geonam’s voice coming from the front of the station but he shrank back as Xioumin walked up to them.

“One on one interrogation,” Xioumin stated. He gestured to an officer standing by. “Get them ready.”

* * *

 

Sungyeol found that he was last to be interrogated and by the time Xioumin came for him, he was a mess of nervousness and agitation. Nevertheless, he held his head high as he was led to a darkened room and sat in front of a table. The room was typical of any other interrogation room he’d seen in the movies.

“Where have they gone, boy?”

Xioumin’s face leaned in closely and Sungyeol found himself inching back in his chair to get away from the foul stench. But the hand firmly clasping his shoulder prevented the action.

“I – I don’t know,” Sungyeol said. He jumped as Xioumin yelled gutturally and slammed a hand onto the table.

“Of course you do!” Xioumin’s veins looked ready to burst in his forehead. “The CCTV footage clearly showed you rotten brats signalling to each other secretly!”

Despite the choking fear, Sungyeol felt the urge to laugh. He still couldn’t believe that they’d managed to orchestrate for Hoya and Sungjong to get away while the detectives were busy arguing with the managers. It felt like something out of an action movie.

“You think this is funny, brat?” Xioumin snarled. Sungyeol stiffened, cursing himself for letting the corners of his mouth lift up.

“No, sir.”

Xioumin surged forward to grab Sungyeol’s collar and wrench the taller boy to his feet. Sungyeol gasped, his breathing coming out erratically as Xioumin cocked his head to the side. The gesture was eerily similar to Sunggyu’s but Xioumin somehow looked like a vulture cocking its head before consuming its prey.

“You know they won’t get far, don’t you?” Xioumin’s voice was silky. “The dancer boy, the manly one – he’s been shot.”

Bile hit the back of Sungyeol’s throat and it took him a few seconds to respond in a pitched high voice. “Hoya? Shot? No, no, you’re – “

“He’s been shot,” repeated Xioumin and he seemed to find a strange enjoyment from the horror etched on Sungyeol’s face. “He left a trail of blood from his shoulder as he got into that MC’s car with the girly fag. Trust me, he won’t get far in that condition.”

Sungyeol swallowed against the lump in his. Was Hoya going to be all right? Where was he shot? Would Hoya somehow be able to go to a hospital? How?

“Why did you shoot him?” Sungyeol hated the way his voice came out pathetic and small. “He’s just a singer, he’s just helping Sungjong because you...you monsters are trying to arrest Sungjong under false charges!”

He expected the hard slap that greeted him. He had used banmal after all. Sungyeol ignored the pain that flared in his cheek. Anger surged within him, replacing the cold fear. Sungyeol clenched his jaw and screamed, “You bastard! We were supposed to be happy today! And you’ve ruined it!”

Xioumin raised his hand again but he was stopped by the door slamming open. An officer stepped in.

“Sir! The manager insists on all of them being freed now. He has already paid for bail!”

* * *

 

Sungyeol was not only the last to be interrogated. He was also the last to reach home, and it was a quiet, sullen ride with Geonam manager driving. Sungyeol opened his mouth a dozen times but couldn’t think of what to say, so just kept quiet.

Police surrounded their house in cars, and Sungyeol ignored them as he made his way to the front door. An ache was building up behind his temples, and right then, he just wanted to sleep. He groaned as once he went through the front door, he was greeted by Woohyun’s yelling.

“Why Hoya?” Woohyun was yelling at a grimfaced Sunggyu, who had bandages wound around him, peeking above his collar and shirt sleeves. “It should have been me or Dongwoo taking Sungjong away! Now look at what’s happened!”

Sunggyu put the phone down from his hand and hissed, “I don’t need your temper tantrum right now, Woohyun.”

Woohyun’s face turned red and Sungyeol found himself hastily stepping in between the two of them.

“Stop it, hyung – “

“HOYA’S JUST BEEN SHOT AND IS POSSIBLY BLEEDING OUT SOMEWHERE AND YOU’RE SAYING I’M HAVING A TEMPER TANTRUM!”

“YOU THINK I DON’T KNOW OR CARE ABOUT HOYA? I’M JUST AS WORRIED AS YOU!”

“YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE PICKED HIM TO GO WITH SUNGJONG IN THE FIRST PLACE!”

“STOP IT!” Sungyeol screamed and to his surprise, Sunggyu and Woohyun fell silent. He glared at them through a watery haze as tears stung his eyes. “Stop it. We have to stick together. We can’t fight. Not now when – “ His voice broke. “- when Sungjong and Hoya needs us.”

Sunggyu sighed heavily and took a look around, probably taking note of how Myungsoo was silently crying in the corner and how Dongwoo’s face seemed unnaturally still – as though he was one thread away from a breakdown.

“Sorry,” said Sunggyu. He sat down, bringing his knees to his chest. “That was Sungjong’s mother on the phone.”

“What did she say?” Sungyeol asked, almost not wanting to find out.

“She’s hysterical. She blames me for not taking Sungjong out of our group. Things wouldn’t have escalated to this if Sungjong had left Infinite from the very first day that stupid photo went around.” Sunggyu clenched his jaw and bowed his head. “She’s right.”

“How is she right?” Dongwoo asked in a gravelly voice. “Sungjong is a part of Infinite. We couldn’t lose him.”

“SM’s CEO warned me that he’d take measures against Jongie,” Sunggyu said. “And now, I’ve doomed Sungjong. And Hoya.”

Sungyeol stared, finding the sight of their leader curled up like a lost child incredibly disturbing. He went to sit next to Sunggyu and put a comforting arm around Sunggyu’s shoulders, the role reversal not lost on him. There were always the odd combinations in Infinite that was slightly awkward with each other. Like how he and Myungsoo could go for days without having a proper conversation with Hoya, though their bond as brothers stayed as strong as the rest of the group’s.

Sunggyu got along with everyone but Sungyeol could see how at odds he and the leader were with each other. It was the combination of Sunggyu’s matureness and careful words that struck a discordant chord with Sungyeol’s boldness and impulsiveness. If they had met as ordinary people, they would have smiled and then try to avoid each other for the rest of their lives.

But when put together in Infinite, they had no choice but to stay together, and thought there’d been friction, Sungyeol liked to think that Sunggyu was just as fond of him as he was of Sunggyu.

“You did what you could to keep Sungjong with us,” Sungyeol said calmly though he felt like wailing himself. “We just have to keep fighting for him instead of breaking down like this.”

Sunggyu nodded slowly and stayed in Sungyeol’s embrace for a second longer before moving away. He glanced up at Woohyun who had collapsed against a wall and was staring into the air blankly.

“I picked Hoya because he was the most suitable one,” Sunggyu said. “He was the only one of us, except for Sungjong, who wore normal clothes instead of really expensive ones, which would led him blend in. He could drive – and drive fast enough to lose the potential police on his tail. He’s fiercely protective of Sungjong, which means he’d never let Sungjong fall into Xioumin’s hands.”

“But now he’s been shot,” Myungsoo whispered. “He could be bleeding, the wound could be infected, he could be dead – “

“Stop,” Woohyun said firmly. He’s held Sunggyu’s gaze and nodded slowly. “Hoya will be fine.”

Sungyeol felt his phone vibrate and took it out to check his messages. There was a note from the manager. “Watch the news.”

Sungyeol switched on the news channel and blinked in surprise to find Infinite’s members’ faces staring back at him. The newsreader’s voice spoke in the background and Sungyeol quickly turned up the volume so that the monotone filled the room.

_“Popular idol group, Infinite, was rocked by a scandal two weeks ago when a photo circulated online displaying their maknae member, Lee Sungjong, kissing a boy. His actions were heavily condemned by the entertainment industry who felt that this was an obvious show of lack of moral.”_

The picture of them faded to show clips of them dancing earlier today. Sungyeol stared, feeling like the performance they’d worked so hard for was a whole lifetime ago.

_“Today, after a performance that some audience claimed “took their breath away” and “far surpassed any other idol displays thus far”, Lee Sungjong was charged by the police under the crime of hacking and leaking secret governmental data. This is a serious breach, the penalty carrying up to twenty years in prison.”_

_“Before he could be placed under arrest to await his trial a month away, Infinite members conspired with each other, leading to Hoya running away with Sungjong as the other members blocked the only route out.”_ The tv showed a clear CCTV footage of Sunggyu slowly linking Hoya and Sungjong’s hands and their shared looks of resolve, before the skirmish with the police _. “During the attempt to run away, Lee Howon was shot in the shoulder. However, he still managed to hijack the car belonging to comedian and popular MC Hyungdon and make a getaway.”_

Sungyeol remembered Hoya’s joke last week about being able to outrun any police. The lump in his throat grew as a grainy CCTV clip of Hoya and Sungjong sprinting to Hyungdon’s car played. He saw Hoya jerk back as he was shot before seeming to ignore it as he dragged Sungjong with him. Sungyeol couldn’t make out if Sungjong was crying or not – but the shaking shoulders certainly made it seem like it.

 _“The car travelled north from Seoul, out manouvering several police cars before stopping in a deserted field in_ _Gwangmyeong._ _Police recovered the car. In the car were streaks of blood and a small note apologising to MC Hyungdon, but the two idols seem to have disappeared. The police urge the two men to turn themselves in and also urge anyone who catches sight of these two men to report them instantly, especially as Lee Howon’s injury may result in serious consequences for himself.”_

Feeling as though the world was turning around him too quickly, Sungyeol sat down. He switched the tv off and the ensuing silence felt grim.

“At least they got away,” Myungsoo said hoarsely.

“Hoya knows how to sleep rough,” Sunggyu said heavily. “I’m sure he’ll manage.”

“But his shoulder,” Sungyeol said, “we don’t know how serious the wound is.”

Woohyun growled and punched the wall. “Why did those bastards shoot Hoya in the first place! Argh!”

“We don’t know anything right now,” Dongwoo spoke for the first time, calmly pulling Woohyun down to sit next to them. “And they’re definitely not going to call us. They know we’re being monitored.”

“I can’t believe this,” Myungsoo said with a catch in his voice.

 Sunggyu clenched his fists and after taking a deep breath, he stood up and looked down at all of them with a firm look in his eye.

“Moping around isn’t going to help Sungjong or Hoya,” Sunggyu said. “Right now, we will continue to promote and perform Attack. Dongwoo, you adapt the choreography for the five of us. Woohyun, you’re in charge of our fan account. Write a complete and honest retelling of what happened today and apologise to our fans and ask for their support. Show me before you publish it. Sungyeol, you call all our parents and tell them what’s going on so far, ask them to stay away for a while too. Myungsoo, you show me your camera collection.”

The members who had been quietly nodding their heads to Sunggyu’s orders jerked their heads up.

“Hyung, this isn’t the time to take selfies of yourself,” Sungyeol said, forcing a smile on his face.

Sunggyu shook his head slowly. He frowned and rubbed at his chin. “I’ll put myself in charge of finding a good lawyer for Sungjong. But we might need more evidence to prove that Sungjong’s innocent.”

“And you need to see Myungsoo’s cameras for that?” Woohyun’s eyebrows drew tougher.

“I have a plan,” confessed Sunggyu, “but I don’t know if it will work.”

Saying that, he went to Myungsoo’s bedroom and Myungsoo hurried after him. Dongwoo got up next, followed by Woohyun. Sungyeol sat still, willing himself not to cry again. The house which had previously been far too cramped for the seven of them, suddenly seemed too big with Sungjong and Hoya missing. 

 _Jongie, you look after Hoya okay,_ Sungyeol hugged himself. _And Hoya, you look after Sungjong. Don’t let the police get him._

He remembered Xioumin’s fierce glare and powerful hands, and shivered at the thought of Sungjong landing in the brute’s hands.

A warm touch to his face startled him and he saw Woohyun knelt in front of him, brandishing a wet cloth.

“You’ve got another cut on your cheek,” Woohyun said and he dabbed at Sungyeol’s wound. “That bastard hit you too, huh?”

“Hyung, how do we get out of this?” Sungyeol’s voice wavered.

Woohyun didn’t say anything and drew him into a hug instead. The tears Sungyeol had been trying to hold back poured down his face and he leaned into the hug, cherishing the warmth of another precious person.

_Hoya, Jongie...keep each other warm okay?_

_Stay safe.._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lack of realism in the fic right now - work prevents me from properly researching the state of law enforcement in Korea.  
> Also, please be rest assured that I never have sad endings for my stories. ;)  
> Next chapter: Sungjong ~ Lost and Found?
> 
> Please send in your comments and anything you thought about this story so far! xxx


	9. Sungjong

**Chapter 8**

Sungjong took in a deep, raspy breath, trying to fight off the tears that prickled at his eyes. There was a hollow pit in his stomach that had nothing to do with the painful hunger pangs hitting his stomach. He gasped in another mouthful of air but it did nothing to lessen the lump in his throat and a sob escaped him instead.

Hoya stirred at the sound, but thankfully didn’t awaken. At least in sleep, he could be free of the pain.

Sungjong stared into the darkness, trying to picture how the place he was crouched in would look like in the day. It was a tiny hole under the bridge, where he and Hoya barely managed to squash themselves in. Mould decorated the stone walls, and Sungjong’s skin crawled each time his fingers or face accidentally touched it. Slime and gunk festered on the floor, where water from the river occasionally splashed in. The grate covering the entrance of the hole was old and rusted, which had enabled Sungjong to force it open easily and put it back in place, but which bit at Sungjong’s toes and stopped him from stretching out his legs.

Sungjong rubbed his palms together, trying to gain some warmth. Luckily it was March, which meant that winter was slowly dying, but the air remained cold, stinging him anyway. Sungjong rearranged the musty old blankets he had scavenged from the dustbins of the nearby neighbourhood, making sure that Hoya was fully covered, but what did it matter anyway – when the ground itself remained damp and wet.

How did this happen? Just two weeks ago, he had been with his brothers, laughing happily in a heated hotel room richly furnished and beautifully decorated. He had eaten roast chicken for dinner and chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream for desert. He had slept in a warm bed and swam in a luxurious pool.

_Because they found out,_ the voice in his head taunted him, _they found out that you’re gay and they’ve destroyed your life. You should have hidden your secret better. You fool._

_It’s not my fault that I’m gay,_ Sungjong retaliated, clenching his fingers.

_It’s your fault that you destroyed your group,_ the voice hissed back. _It’s your fault that the other members have been beaten, tortured and humiliated. It’s your entire fault and yet, you’re still happy, aren’t you? You’re happy that at least the other members know who you really are._

Sungjong lowered his head. The other members knowing his secret and still standing by him and loving him – it did warm his heart. It was more than he ever expected.

_Selfish,_ the voice screamed, _you’re a selfish brat! Look at Hoya! Look at where he has to sleep because of you! He’s been shot! Look at how much Infinite have suffered! How much your parents must be suffering now!_

Sungjong shook his head hard. It was almost laughable that he was having an argument with himself.

But what else was he to do, stuck in a dinghy hole while the police scoured every inch of the ground above?

It’s been exactly four days since the police tried to arrest him. Hoya had managed to drive far enough for them to momentarily lose the police, but it had been a long and hard struggle to walk away from the car and find somewhere to hide. Sungjong had half carried Hoya as they wandered into a nearby town and took refuge under the bridge. The police had been slow to arrive there, giving them enough time to hide.

Sungjong had brought Hyungdon’s first aid kit from the car with him, and had quickly checked Hoya’s wound.

_“Hyung,” Sungjong whispered, staring at the blood encrusted_

_The bullet had luckily not embedded itself into Hoya’s shoulder, but instead, had nicked the top of his shoulder, leaving a small gaping hole where blood seemed to continuously ooze out._

_“Is the bullet still there?” Hoya asked through clenched teeth._

_“It’s left a hole, hyung. Not a big one but it’ll need stitches,” Sungjong murmured. The gore didn’t bother him, but the sight of so much blood belonging to Hoya made his stomach roll. “You need to go to the hospital.”_

_“No,” Hoya said firmly, “no hospital. Just bandage it up, Jongie.”_

Sungjong turned onto his side to look at Hoya’s shoulder. He’d just changed the bandage a few hours ago but blood and pus was already staining the cloth. Reaching out a shaking hand to Hoya’s forehead, Sungjong confirmed that yes, the fever was still there.

The wound was infected, was the only conclusion Sungjong could come up with.  He didn’t know medicine except from what he saw from action movies. But it’s been four days now, and though the blood was congealed, there was pus and ugly smears around Hoya’s wound, and the older boy had been suffering from a high fever for a couple of days now.

_Of course it’s infected,_ Sungjong thought, _good healing was hardly going to happen in a place like this. What do I do?_

He couldn’t remember ever being so helpless, and each pained breath Hoya took in felt like a sword into his side. He whispered his apologies into the air again, his hand clenching Hoya’s tightly.

Sleep came late but he was the first to wake up to the early morning. Sungjong swept the blanket off him and prepared to go out and get food, though he wasn’t sure if Hoya would be able to hold anything solid down. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten for two days now, having secretly given his share of food to Hoya. And the only water he had drank was the river water.

Making sure that Hoya’s breathing was still steady, Sungjong kicked out the grate covering the hole and clambered out. It was still dark outside – but it was almost blissful to stretch his arms and legs out again, and guilt wracked him to remember that Hoya had been unable to get out of the hole for a day now.

Hoya had been able to move around for the first two days, and he had shown Sungjong the tricks almost – where to get food, water, clothes, how to spot and avoid the cameras. The only problem was that it needed stealth and a sleight of hand, and Hoya was the only one good at that. Which meant that Sungjong had to resort to scavenging the communal dustbins.

The dustbin area was surrounded by residential houses, but hardly anyone woke up at five in the morning, so Sungjong was able to pull down his hoodie and creep between the dustbins. He could hear police sirens in the distance, which raised the hairs at the back of his neck. The police presence in the town had been neverending, forcing Sungjong and Hoya to stay under the bridge if they didn’t want to be found.

Sungjong had found a half eaten sandwich pack and amazingly, an unopened bottle of Coke, when a ragged newspaper caught his eye.

It was dated three days ago, and the front page was littered with pictures of Sunggyu being punched as he clung to the door, of Woohyun being dragged by his hair, of Dongwoo, Sungyeol and Myungsoo being restrained, their faces bruised and bloodied. Sungjong’s heart stopped as he desperately clutched the newspapers, his eyes reading the writings –

_“Concerns regarding the safety of Infinite members is circulating amongst the general public, after pictures arose of the police brutally arresting all of them as they tried to buy time for their maknae member, Sungjong . Despite being released on bail a few hours later, Infinite sported the fresh cuts as they returned home – “_

Sungjong dropped the newspaper as bile hit the back of his throat. He couldn’t breathe for the first few seconds, guilt and anger seeming to form a tight band across his chest.

The sound of a door creaking open startled him to remembering where he was, and he quickly ducked behind the dustbins as an old lady walked out of her house and into her front lawn. She was tall, with a firm straight back but a rigidity to her movements that suggested that age had caught up with her. Sungjong stared. Her face was stern and tight, but there was something about her eyes and the wrinkles around her mouth that reminded him of Dongwoo.

“Come on birds,” the woman’s voice was husky as she scattered raw rice seeds onto the grass.

The old woman lived alone, Sungjong remembered. He had never seen anyone else going and out of the house and there was no care in the driveway. She must be lonely, he thought and for half a second, gratefulness for the other members always being with him surged through.

Sungjong took one last look of the woman, before quietly, turning around and going back to Hoya.

* * *

 

Hoya was angry when Sungjong returned. His face seemed to be permanently contorted with pain nowadays but his eyes had not lost its youthful glint.

“Where were you?” Hoya rasped. “I told you to wake me up if you go out!”

“Sorry hyung,” Sungjong murmured. He sat down next to Hoya and pressed the sandwich and Coke into the older boy’s hands. “Here, eat something.”

Hoya sighed and looked away. “I’m not hungry. You eat.”

“I’m not hungry either.”

“Jongie, I know you’ve barely eaten at all for the past few days – “

“I’m turning myself in.”

Hoya’s eyes widened and he stared in shock for a few seconds before understanding finally dawned on him. He grabbed Sungjong’s wrist as tight as he could but Sungjong shook it off easily.

“I can’t stand this anymore, hyung,” Sungjong said, taking Hoya’s hand and pressing a kiss onto it. “I refuse to be responsible for your arm getting gangrene and falling off – “

“Jongie, it’s hardly going to fall off – “

“Or for the other members to get beaten up because of me – “

“They tough! They can take it – and they deserve the occasional beating too!”

“Or for Infinite’s reputation to suffer any further,” Sungjong finished firmly.

“Jongie,” Hoya hissed, “you’re naive, so you have no idea. But they will mess you up in prison, Jongie. I’m serious – they will torture you, they will make you wish you’d never been born, and force you to sign a confession – “

“Hyung,” Sungjong’s voice finally cracked, “I’d rather that than to have to see you like this.”

Hoya grimaced and cursed under his breath before shouting, “You’re not turning yourself in! I don’t care if I die but I won’t let you land into the police’s hands.”

“You need proper treatment.”

“Listen to me, you idiot – “

“No,” Sungjong said, kicking out the grate and scrambling out, ignoring the feel of slime coating his fingers. “Let’s go.”

Hoya had tears in his eyes as he desperately tried to cling on to Sungjong’s arm. “Don’t do it, Jongie, please, I’m begging you.”

Sungjong drew in another breath, feeling oddly calm as he manhandled Hoya out of the hole. It was a sign of how weakened Hoya had become that even Sungjong could pull him out.

_But it’s okay,_ Sungjong told himself, _Hoya hyung was going to be in a comfortable bed in the hospital in a few hours._

“Jongie, if you go to the police, I’ll cut off my arm, I swear it!”

Hoya’s scream echoed in Sungjong’s ears and he blinked at the older boy, his lower lip trembling. “Hyung, this is already hard enough. I’m trying to be brave – “

“Well you’re being dense! Nothing will be achieved from you going to prison!”

Sungjong stood still, one arm around Hoya’s waist and the other bringing Hoya’s arm around his shoulders for support. There was a faint idea in his head – but would it work?

“Hyung, let’s do this then...”

* * *

 

Luckily there was no movement in the neighbourhood as Sungjong half carried Hoya through the dustbin area. They limped together, Sungjong’s stride determined and purposeful, while Hoya’s skittsh.

“Someone’s going to see us,” Hoya murmured. “Jongie, this is not a good idea.”

Sungjong said nothing and walked towards the house nearest to the dustbins. He hesitated before ringing the bell. As he thought, the old lady opened the door within seconds. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of them – both of the scruffy, dirty with blood staining their clothes.

“Please ajumma,” Sungjong whispered. He bowed as far as he could without dislodging Hoya. “Please, help us.”

The woman stared at them in silence for a few long seconds, during which Sungjong’s heart hammered hard at his ribcage. He could feel Hoya stiffening, probably trying to gear himself up to run.

“Come in.” The old woman opened the door and gestured inside, her mouth a thin, grim line.

Sungjong’s jaw dropped as he tried not to enflame the flicker of hope within him. “Really?”

“Quickly. Bring him upstairs,” the woman said, and thought her tone was harsh, it was the most beautiful word Sungjong thought he could hear.

“Thank you, thank you so much,” Sungjong bowed again and rushed in just as the dawn’s sun began to rise up.

Inside, was a normal home, decorated with antiques and had a prim and proper air. Sungjong helped manoeuvre Hoya through the small opening corridor and helped the boy limp upstairs.

“Bring him through the first door on your right,” the woman said. Sungjong complied, slightly surprised to find that he had opened the door to a large bathroom. The woman followed them in and moved in front of Hoya to start unbuttoning his shirt.

“Wait,” Hoya tried to protest, his eyes laden with suspicion and worry.

“You need to be washed and cleaned,” the woman said firmly with her hands on her hips. “Get into the bath.”

Maybe it was the way she used the exact same tone that Sunggyu used to nag, but Hoya relented and allowed her to strip him completely as Sungjong did as the lady ordered and ran a warm bath. The woman hissed as she unravelled Hoya’s bandage and the sickly sweet smell of infection filled the air, overpowering even Sungjong and Hoya’s sharp stench.

“It’s badly infected,” the woman said. “But it should heal well if you follow my instructions. You’re lucky the bullet didn’t go any lower. It would have severed a main artery.”

“Hoya hyung is going to be fine?” Sungjong asked, his heart skipping a beat from the pure joy that surged through him.

The lady levelled a stern glare at him. “If he listens to what I say. Now, you boy - get in the bath.”

Sungjong stood by as Hoya washed himself and as the woman sat next to the bath on a stool and cleaned Hoya’s wound. She had taken out a medical kit from the bathroom cabinet and used a metal spoon to scrape out the puss. Hoya’s hands tightened around the baththub edges and Sungjong had to look away as the woman brought out swabs, disinfectant and a needle.

“Boy,” the woman said sharply and Sungjong stood straighter upon realising that she was talking to him. “This will take a while. Go prepare the bedsheets in the room next door.”

Sungjong hesitated, unsure if he should be leaving his dazed looking hyung alone with the woman. She seemed to see the conflict on his face.

“I was an army medic. I know how to handle this. Now, go,” she said.

Sungjong went out but even as he went into the bedroom, he could still hear Hoya’s pained cries echoing in his ears. He knew that those cries, along with his other members bloodied faces, would haunt his nightmares for a long time to come.

* * *

 

Sungjong watched Hoya lie in the bed peacefully. The constant pained frown that marred his face was now gone. He was shirtless, only wearing the fresh bandage that was clipped securely. Sungjong’s chest felt tight to see the older boy comfortably waddled in the soft sheets.

“Go to sleep, hyung,” Sungjong said.

“We don’t know if we can trust her,” Hoya said, but his tone was considerably softer.

“She reminds me of Dongwoo hyung,” Sungjong said. “She has the same eyes.”

“Please tell her not to laugh like Dongwoo hyung. I think I might get a heart attack.”

Sungjong giggled and reached out to clasp Hoya’s hand. “Hyung, remember when you asked me to rank you on how handsome you’re in Infinite?”

“Yeah?”

“I lied. You’re number one.”

Hoya sniggered. “I knew it. Wait till I tell Sungyeol – he’s going to flip. He owes me ten pounds now.”

Sungjong raised an eyebrow despite himself. “You two made a bet?”

Hoya didn’t reply, his eyes already falling shut and his chest rising up and down steadily. Sungjong stayed seated at the end of the bed, content to watch Hoya sleep peacefully for the rest of the day. Guilt still twisted his heart to remember that he was yet to know the condition the other members were in.

“His fever will break by tonight, but that arm will be out of order for a month at least.”

The brittle voice that slashed through the air made Sungjong jump. He turned quickly to see the woman standing in the doorway of the bedroom.

“Thank you, maam,” Sungjong got to his knees and bowed. “Will he be able to use his arm normally after that?”

“We can only wait and see,” the woman said. She gestured for Sungjong to follow her out, and he hastily did so, gently closing the bedroom door behind him.

“You need a bath,” the woman said. She turned to the direction of the bathroom. “Come on.”

* * *

 

Sungjong didn’t think it could ever feel so good to have a bath. The water was so deliciously warm, compared to the freezing river slime, and it was heavenly to get the dirt scrubbed off from his body and the grease in his hair washed off. He sat in the bath with his knees to his chest as the woman sat next to the bath on a stool, massaging shampoo into his hair.

“I don’t know how I could ever thank you for this,” Sungjong finally spoke, breaking the silence.  “I don’t know if you know who me or my hyung are but we are eternally in your debt.”

“I do watch the news, boy,” the woman said. “You’re Lee Sungjong and the other one is Lee Howon. I saw the broadcast where you two ran away.”

Sungjong clenched his hands tightly and his voice shook as he said, “Please...please don’t turn us in to the police. I swear to you, I am not a hacker. I don’t even know how to. I –“

“Quiet,” the woman spoke briskly, but her hands were tender as she washed his hair. “I know you’re innocent. A guilty boy would never have his teammates fight to assuredly for his freedom. I saw how your members barricaded the police’s way. They wouldn’t have done so if they weren’t sure of your character.”

“They got hurt because of me,” Sungjong’s voice caught in his throat and he couldn’t help the sob that burst through. “I keep hurting everyone around me. The people I love the most... they’re getting hurt because I’m nothing but an abnormal weakling who keeps bringing them down.”

His members pained faces kept flashing before his eyes and before he knew it, more sobs had followed and his body was wracked with hard cries. Warm hands wrapped around his shoulders and he found himself being cradled in tight hug. His hair was stroked gently, reminding him of the time his members had fallen asleep hugging him, and the ache within him intensified. He missed everyone so much...

“Now, stop crying,” the woman’s voice was firm yet not unkind. “You have many people who love you and you’re in safe hands for now.”

Sungjong drew in deep breaths and tried to stop the flow of tears. He partly managed it but didn’t pull away from the woman’s hold. It felt almost like his mother’s touch.

“My court date is less than a month away,” Sungjong said in a steadier tone.

“You and your brother will stay here until then,” the woman said. She steered him to sit back down in the bathtub and returned to washing his hair. “I’m sure your leader is in the process of sorting the legal matters.”

“Thank you,” Sungjong said for what he felt for the hundredth time. But he couldn’t express his gratitude enough for the wings of safety that seemed to wrap around him and Hoya. It felt so good to be able to get out of that hole under the bridge. “But maam, what do I call you?”

The woman remained quiet for a short while before finally saying, “Call me Grandma. That’s enough.”

“Thank you, Grandma,” Sungjong said politely and he turned to flash her a small, tentative smile. “Have you seen Infinite’s performances before?”

“It’s hard to miss when that kpop rubbish is shown after every single drama episode,” Grandma sighed.

Sungjong laughed, feeling lighter than he’d been in weeks. The storm had passed now, but he could feel in his bones, the approach of something bigger and more terrifying. Twenty six more days until the court date, the court hearing which could send him to prison.

_Trust Sunggyu hyung,_ he admonished himself, _hyung will definitely do something to help._

_Sunggyu hyung, Dongwoo hyung, Woohyun hyung, Sungyeol hyung, Myungsoo-ah..._

_Please stay safe and keep each other warm..._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry but with my medical exams coming up, I will have to take a three week hiatus from this fic! I will carry on posting updates around the 22nd of May! Please wait till then!
> 
> Also, please leave your comments on this chapter! I’d love to know your thoughts! xxx


	10. Myungsoo

 

 Everything felt quiet with two members missing. And that was strange itself, Myungsoo thought, since technically two of the three quietest members were gone. He sat on Sungjong’s bed with a heavy sigh and leaned his head back against the wall, squinting against the bright sunlight that poured in through the windows. Sungjong’s teddy bear sat next to him, with a mournful expression that seemed to mirror Myungsoo’s feelings.

It had been a week now since Sungjong and Hoya had ran away, and each day that passed by tore at Myungsoo’s insides. Was Hoya okay? Was Sungjong able to get Hoya to a hospital? Were they safe? How were they sleeping? Would the police find them? Too many unanswered questions that hounded Myungsoo’s thoughts even in his dreams.

Nightmares of Hoya gasping in a pool of blood, of Sungjong screaming and being dragged to prison, of the police beating Sungjong up mercilessly...Myungsoo always woke up in a cold sweat and a scream stuck in his throat. He tried not to make a sound, but more than once, he’d jerk up to find Dongwoo patting his back gently or Sungyeol, who now slept with them, pulling him into a tight hug.

Quiet. Too quiet.

Myungsoo sighed and pulled the teddy bear towards him, engulfing it in a tight hug. Infinite had been practically locked in the house for the week, with the police constantly at their doorstep. They had a performance the next day though, and as much as Myungsoo dreaded the looks of distaste he knew they’d receive, it was at least a brief moment of freedom – even if it was just a charity event.

Infinite had done nothing but practice all week. It seemed to help take the members’s minds off Sungjong and Hoya at least. When they were not practicing, they all slept, as though by sleeping, they could take the worry off their minds.

The only member who didn’t sleep was Sunggyu. He sat in the living room with his laptop, seeming to type and read from it endless. Myungsoo managed to sneak a look at the screen once, and found it to be full of law jargon. It seemed like Sunggyu was familiarising himself with Korean’s juridical system. 

“We need to know what we’re up against and how we can protect ourselves,” was Sunggyu’s only reply when Myungsoo questioned him. 

Woohyun occasionally sat up with Sunggyu and tried to read up too, though he almost always fell asleep on Sunggyu’s shoulder, the monotony of the law too boring for him. Myungsoo had tried to do the same too but he eventually ended up sleeping in Sunggyu’s lap and needed to be half carried to his bedroom by Sungyeol.

“What do I do?” muttered Myungsoo, hugging the teddy bear tighter. He missed Sungjong’s presence, even more than he missed Sungjong’s bright smiles, which had grown too absent in the recent weeks.

He could help but feel useless. Sunggyu had a plan, he knew, but the leader had refused the share his plan with the others, and Myungsoo wished that he could help more than show random camera models that hadn’t impressed Sunggyu anyway.

He started as a police car went by, sirens blasting away, and didn’t relax until the car was well away from the road. Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, a raised voice jerked him back up

“Kids, kids, kids!”

Myungsoo hastened to answer Sunggyu’s yell, hearing the other members rush to the living room too. He got there in time to see Sunggyu turn his laptop around the face them.

“Read it,” Sunggyu said with a note of disbelief in his voice.

Myungsoo knelt behind Woohyun and read the article on the screen, feeling his eyebrows raise higher with each word.

> _“ **Shinhwa’s Kim Dongwan pledges support to Infinite.**_
> 
> _Writing in his blog, the actor and Shinhwa member of eighteen years speaks out against the backlash Korean idol group Infinite has faced since the disclosing of maknae’s, Lee Sungjong’s, sexuality._
> 
> _He wrote considerably less than his previous posts, but condensed his opinion succinctly:_
> 
> _“Our children are the future of tomorrow, and they must be protected from bigoted opinions. By turning your back on Lee Sungjong simply because he contains a different type of love within him, you have shown the children just how much they can be hurt for wanting to be who they really are._
> 
> _I am disappointed both by the Korean entertainment industry and the Korean police system, who are now hunting for Lee Sungjong as though they’re pitiless hounds on a fox’s trail. Even going so far to wound Lee Howon, who was simply putting his dongsaeng’s needs above his. Though I do not, of course, have the full information, I believe that the claim against Lee Sungjong is false. And it hurts my heart that our country seem to take great pleasure in hurting those who do not adhere to its standards._
> 
> _Lee Sungjong is a son, hyung, dongsaeng and friend, and is loved by many people. He has always been a good hoobae to me, like all of Infinite. The tide of hatred that turned against Infinite truly sickens me._
> 
> _I am impressed by the continuance of the other Infinite members’ support to Lee Sungjong. They have truly had his back from day one, and I see a lot of the same strong bonds Shinhwa has, paralleled in Infinite._
> 
> _I hope that Sungjong will return to his court trial and be cleared of all charges. I hope that Infinite will continue to do well in the future. And above all, I hope that Korea would change its toxic mentality against the LGBT community, who may even reside in your home._

The silence that fell was for once, one of amazement.

“Wow,” Sungyeol finally voiced out. “This is huge.”

Myungsoo could only nod his head in agreement. Shinhwa! The sunbaenim that they all idolised more than anyone else, supported them. It brought warmth to his chest and a faint glow of pride as he re-read the article’s lines.

“This could potentially turn more people to our side,” Woohyun said in a hushed voice. “Shinhwa sunbaenim...they’re huge! And they’re adults too!”

“We’re adults,” Dongwoo said, laughingly shoving at Woohyun.

“No, you know, they’re adults adults! They could help gain us some leverage in the variety shows and stuff!”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Sunggyu cut in. He took the laptop back and his expression settled again into one of concentration. “Shinhwa sunbaenim don’t owe us anything. And we need to get Sungjong off the charges first.”

“I wish Sungjong would call us,” Myungsoo said, scooting over to back hug Dongwoo. “So that we can know more about Hoya and whether they’re eating okay.”

“They can’t,” Dongwoo said, an uncharacteristic grimness crossing his face. “The police have the phones monitored. And our mail checked.” He sighed heavily. “But I’m so worried about Hoya too...His father called this morning.”

“Again?” Myungsoo asked. Hoya’s father had nearly screamed Sunggyu’s ear off the first time he called, seven days ago.   Since then, he called every morning to interrogate them on Hoya’s whereabouts. Myungsoo made sure to leave the room each time the phone rang so that he didn’t have to hear the sheer worry and anger in the man’s voice.

“Yeah,” Woohyun sighed. “I answered this time. He really doesn’t believe that we don’t know anything.”

Myungsoo gingerly patted Woohyun’s back. “Let’s just see if there’s any news tomorrow.”

“Back to practice,” Sunggyu said, getting up. “Come on.”

And wincing as his bones and muscles ached in protest, Myungsoo got up and followed.

* * *

 

The charity event was a relatively large one – with the likes of even Super Junior and 2NE1 attending. MYungsoo avoided looking up as walked on the red carpet with the other members. He just hated the scathing looks he knew he and the other members would receive.

And the questions began the moment they posed for the photos. Myungsoo followed Sunggyu’s advice and kept his lips sealed.

_“Do you have any idea where Sungjong and Hoya-shi are right now?”_

_“What are your thoughts on Hoya-shi possibly bleeding out?”_

_“Sunggyu-shi, do you regret telling Sungjong-shi to run?”_

_“Myungsoo-shi, what are your thoughts on being presented your award tonight?”_

Of course. Though this was a charity show, it was also giving out random awards to celebrities, and he received the email a few days ago informing him that he was awarded with “Best Looking Male Idol”. Remembering that brought a blush to Myungsoo’s cheeks. Why did he just get nominated for such shallow things? Surely, Sungyeol or Sungjong were both just as good looking? Why didn’t people go on about their looks instead of focusing on him all the time?

It wasn’t that he disliked the attention. But sometimes, it felt as though the curvature of his nose brought people more happiness than his words or talents.

The backroom of the stage was surprisingly empty, with most of the other celebrities already sat at their designated tables. There weren’t any specific cubicles for each group, so Infinite found some space in the vast hall to start the preparations for the stage. They were next to BTS, who to Myungsoo’s surprise and pleasure, bowed and greeted them as sunbaenims with wide smiles.

Myungsoo hung back as the rest of the group got stuck in into costume changing and practising. He leaned against a chair, wondering if he had some time to sleep before having to go up, when a voice sounded near his ear, making him jump.

“How’re things going?”

A quick glance to the side revealed it to be Haha, dressed in a suit to play his role of a MC for the charity event.

Myungsoo looked behind him but found to his surprise that there were no members behind him. Haha was talking to him? They’d barely exchanged a word with each other, even during the Running Man episode where they’d been teamed up.

“Things are going okay, hyung,” Myungsoo said quietly. “We’re trying to figure out how to get rid of the charges against Sungjong. Sunggyu hyung is stressing out over it.”

Haha nodded and passed him a small card, his shifty actions almost making him look like a drug dealer on the corner street.

“Take care,” was all Haha said before quickly disappearing into the crowd of people.

Myungsoo’s frown deepened as he turned the card over to find that it was a lawyer’s business card. On the back was a short message. _“One of the best lawyers in the country. Running man’s team will take care of the expenses.”_

Myungsoo hastened to show Sunggyu, taking pleasure in the widening of the leader’s eyes and the relief in Sunggyu’s shoulders. Sunggyu didn’t smile though, which hurt. Myungsoo couldn’t remember the last time Sunggyu smiled.

“This is great,” Sunggyu said. “But we don’t know if it’s enough.” His mobile phone rang and his expression instantly changed as he checked who it was. “I’ll talk to you later, Myungsoo.”

Myungsoo watched Sunggyu head away to the changing cubicles with narrowed eyes. Since when did Sunggyu have to move away when answering calls? Did he know something about Sungjong? Were they in contact?

It took a moment of deliberation but it wasn’t too hard to decide and Myungsoo was on Sunggyu’s tail within seconds.

It came useful sometimes -  to be almost invisible, Myungsoo decided as he followed Sunggyu into a deserted corridor. Sunggyu entered a changing room but the door was left slightly ajar and Myungsoo found himself able to peer through the tiny gap and see Sunggyu speaking into the phone with a strange smirk on his face which raised the hairs on the back of Myungsoo’s neck.

“Ah, hyung,” Sunggyu said with the almost cute wheedle-like tone he usually used with older men. “I told you I’d keep you updated in case we find out anything, right? Seriously, the faggot hasn’t contacted us at all.”

Myungsoo’s stomach turned, and for a second he almost felt as though he would throw up.

“Why would I hide anything from the great Inspector Xioumin?” Sunggyu laughed and it was the exact same way he laughed around Hyungdon or Jinho. “Really hyung, I’ll call you the first chance I get anything. Howon’s father called again today. It looks like his idiot of a son hasn’t contacted him either. Might be dead for all we know.”

Myungsoo clutched the door’s handle tightly, confusion overwhelming him too much to even be angry. _What the hell?_

The door creaked slightly and Sunggyu spun around with wide eyes. Myungsoo managed to duck away just in time and within seconds, he was sprinting away from the changing room, weaving through cameramen and ignoring questions flung towards him. His heart wouldn’t stop racing.

What on earth was going on?

 

* * *

 

The stage went well, though it didn’t feel the same without Sungjong and Hoya. They lacked the fire that had driven them during the last awards ceremony. But they did well anyway, going by the loud applause they received at the end.

After getting changed quickly, they seated themselves at the ceremony’s dinner tables, just in front of the stage. Myungsoo sat next to Sunggyu, hoping to gain some sort of hint about the conversation he overheard. But Sunggyu’s face was completely impassive, though he sent Myungsoo a quizzical look when the younger stared at him for too long.

Myungsoo didn’t know what to think. Why would Sunggyu be associating with the horrible police officer? Why would he throw Sungjong and Hoya under the bus like that? Myungsoo didn’t even have the appetite to eat.

He stared at the large screen fixed discreetly above the audience’s heads. It was set on the news channel, occasionally interrupted by advertising. Myungsoo stared at it, wishing for some good news for once.

Sistar, F(X), MBLAQ all performed before the prize giving began, and Myungsoo felt a coil of dread twist in his stomach as Park Myungsoo and Jang Dongmin came up as the MCs. They presented a variety of different prizes before finally reaching the prize Myungsoo had his name for.

“Ah, our Infinite,” Dongmin said with a wide smile. “The group without a scandal so far simply exploded this year, didn’t they?”

“Exploded right out of the closet?” Park Myungsoo laughed.

Myungsoo narrowed his eyes as scattered laughter broke out from around them. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Woohyun’s hand on the table clench into a fist. Dongwoo had the expression of a wounded puppy, while Sungyeol and Sunggyu kept their faces blank, though Myungsoo could see the anger simmering in their eyes.

“Who would have thought huh? That there was a girl in the group all along?” Dongmin grinned. “I knew there was a reason why my heart beat so fast when I looked at him.”

It was almost laughable how wrong their jokes were, but that wasn’t the reason the audience laughed, Myungsoo could see. They laughed purely because they found the idea of a gay idol hilarious. Myungsoo gritted his teeth as the two MCs made another barrage of jokes about Sungjong and one about Hoya trying to act the knight in shining armour, before finally calling on Myungsoo to receive his prize.

Myungsoo walked up to the stage, bowing rigidly as he accepted the prize. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears as he stared at the audience with distaste. All those who had laughed at the so called jokes cruelly aimed to degrade Sungjong’s reputation even more...

“Thank you all for this award, especially to our Insprits, who always stands by me and the other members.” Myungsoo waited for the cheering to die down before continuing. “We are hurting tonight because two of our members are not with us. We truly believe that the charges against our maknae are false.”

Murmurs began in the audience. Myungsoo coloured slightly as he realised that what sounded cool in his head probably didn’t translate to cool when saying it after receiving a handsomeness award. But he’d already started, he might as well finish.

“There’ve been many mean spirited jokes tonight,” Myungsoo said quietly. “I hope that those who criticise can find it within them to reflect on their bigotry because – “ Myungsoo’s voice cracked, and he flushed as some sniggered. “Because Sungjong doesn’t deserve it...I’m not angry. I’m just – “ His voice grew thick but he pushed himself to go through, “ I’m just sad.”

He looked towards the tables housing Super Junior, Big Bang and a number of other idols. “Because Sungjongie – he really looks up to you all. He loves all of you. If he’s watching this now, it must hurt him so much that the people he idolises...are laughing at him like this.”

Myungsoo could feel the tears pooling at the base of his eye. He bit his lower lip as the faces of the audience stared back at him blankly. What was he doing? Why was he embarrassing himself like this?

He looked to where the members were sat and relief bloomed in his chest to see most of them smiling at him fondly. Woohyun rolled his eyes and made a gesture of his hand to wave him over. _Come back here, pabo._

Myungsoo sniffed. “Ah, yes...sorry...Thank you.”

Only the Inspirits sitting at the far right side clapped and cheered, and Myungsoo wondered whether his face had gone completely red as he bowed quickly and hurried back to his seat. Whispers reached his ears but he ignored it until another gasp echoed around the large hall, prompting him to stop and look at where everyone else was looking.

He stared at the news screen above the audience stands, and an incredulous laugh burst out of him.

The news title was bolded at the bottom of the screen. **“An Inspirit receives a subtle picture through her mailbox, which she posted online.”**

The picture mentioned filled the tv’s screen. A close up of Sungjong and Hoya. Hoya with a cast and a bandage supporting his wounded arm. He was grinning and had his uninjured arm around Sungjong’s shoulders. Sungjong looked worrying skinnier, but almost content and at peace as he smiled at the camera. They seemed to be lying on a blue bed, going by the dark blue background, but nothing else could be derived from the photo.

They were okay, Myungsoo thought with a sigh. They were okay and more than that, they were healthy and looked safe and comfortable.

It was more than he could ever expect and he couldn’t hold back the tears of relief that streamed down his face. He quickly looked back at the members, eager to see their reactions. Woohyun, Dongwoo and Sungyeol looked close to tears themselves, gripping each other’s arm or hand tightly.

Myungsoo shifted his gaze to Sunggyu and felt his heart sink to see the leader’s eyes narrowed and his face solemn.

As though this wasn’t good news.

As though he hated the two boys on the screen.

Myungsoo bit his lip hard, almost expecting blood to fill his mouth.

If Infinite couldn’t trust their leader, then what even was Infinite anymore?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back! Don’t even ask about exams *shudders*.
> 
> Please, please, please share your opinions and comment! I feel like readers are starting to lose interest =( There four chapters left till the story ends!
> 
> Next chapter: Sunggyu: Wherein trust is found and lost and abused.


	11. Sunggyu

Myungsoo’s been avoiding him.

It took him a while to notice. A whole week in fact. But amidst all the tension and worry, he’d finally managed to see that Myungsoo hadn’t once hugged him or sat next to him or even spoken more than two sentences to him. In fact, the younger boy seemed to spend most of his time staring at him with a sorrowful distressed face, only looking away when Sunggyu raised an eyebrow at him.

Sunggyu sighed and flicked the kettle on. Was it his fault? Had he snapped at Myungsoo at some point? It was just like the younger boy to get his feelings hurt and keep it in without telling anyone.

He was just about to reach up for the teabags when Myungsoo entered the kitchen, wearing his black pyjamas.

“Morning,” Sunggyu said quietly.

Myungsoo raised his head, looking suddenly stricken. “Ah. Uh. Morning, hyung.”

Sunggyu stifled a sigh. The headache that seemed to constantly throb behind his temples sharpened.

“Myungsoo ah...are you angry at hyung?”

Myungsoo’s shoulders stiffened and he hurried to do to the dishes, which confirmed to Sunggyu that something was wrong. Myungsoo never did housework.

“No hyung,” Myungsoo said shakily. “Why would you think that?”

Sunggyu bit his lip and cradled his tea cup in his hand. “Hyung is sorry. I wish I can be the sort of leader you deserve, Myungsoo ah. I’m trying my best...Really.”

He walked out, ignoring Myungsoo’s sharp intake of breath and whispered “Hyung no – “. He carried his tea and sat down in the spot he had made for himself in the living room. Opening his laptop, he tried not to groan out loud to see the tiny Times New Roman font that greeted him.

God, this headache was killing him.

Myungsoo came out of the kitchen, his hands still soaking with suds and his face tearstained. “Hyung! I never said you’re not a bad leader!”

Trust Myungsoo, Sunggyu sighed, to get overly emotional about these sort of statements. He fought the urge to roll his eyes as all the other members appeared from their rooms, drawn by the shrill scream.

“I just don’t understand,” Myungsoo said, “why you’re working with the Inspector Xioumin or why you sound like you hate Sungjong and Hoya! You even called Sungjong a faggot when you were on the phone!”

Well now it made sense.

The other members looked at him as though he had just taken their hearts out from their chests and stepped on them.

Sunggyu sighed and spoke sharply. “Quiet. All of you. Sit down here and listen.”

No one had ever dared to disobey the commanding voice when it got so stern and they rushed to sit before him. Sunggyu raised an eyebrow at Myungsoo, who was still half glaring, half pouting at him.

“You think I want Jongie to be put in prison? You think I want Hoya to be bleeding out dead somewhere? You think I want the police to find them?” Sunggyu’s voice rose with each question. “Myungsoo! I’m the leader! I’m in charge for all of you, and I love all of you, if you ever doubt that, come and talk to me about it!”

Myungsoo lowered his head. He’d always been sensitive to people yelling at him.

Sunggyu took a deep breath. He could see that the others were waiting for him to speak,

So he told them everything.

 From the day their lives had gone to hell –

 

_Maybe it was from those years he lived by himself. Those horrid years where no one cared about him and even his parents deserted him. But Sunggyu grew a skill in knowing exactly who a person was the moment he saw them._

_For example, the old man who had employed him was kind, sweet and lovely, despite his rough, angry outer appearance. He’d seen it in the old man’s laughter lines around the eyes, the old man’s gentleness when talking to a pregnant woman, the old man’s tenderness as he bandaged Sunggyu’s burns from the stove._

_He even developed the skill as he became an idol._

_Lee Jungyeol was a man who was strict and didn’t stand for imperfection. He had mellowed over the years though._

_Kim Gura would treat you well if you were a younger male who constantly expressed your affection and respect of him._

_Lee Sangmin was a sly and smart man, who got through most of his life through loopholes and the right words. He was also a man incredibly weak to the idea of a junior idolising him._

_The members, when he met them were easy. Dongwoo’s wide grin instantly reflected his bright personality. Woohyun had a stubborn tilt to his chin that screamed out both pride and a softer vulnerability he was trying to hide. Hoya carried himself with the same defensiveness and past hurts that Sunggyu could relate to. Sungyeol was still a pure child despite being the same age as Hoya, equal parts adorable and fondly exasperating. Myungsoo was a shy, weird child with a soft heart despite the cool facade. And Sungjong was a naive child with the potential to be older and wiser than all of them._

_It was no wonder really, how easily he loved them all._

_As Inspector Xioumin entered the interrogation room, Sunggyu got the measure of him instantly. Here was a man who had grown up wanting to be police officer, simply because he enjoyed the thrill of the chase. Going by Xioumin’s confident swagger, he was a man who lusted after power. The way Xioumin smirked slightly as he pulled out the seat opposite Sunggyu , and the way his eyes flicked quickly to his deputies by the door, showed that he enjoyed these moments simply because he enjoyed basking in the open admiration of his juniors._

_Power hungry. Hyper masculine. Homophobic. Arrogant. A show off. Sunggyu rattled off in his head._

_He narrowed his eyes at Xioumin. A show off..._

_He could use that._

_“Hyungnim,” Sunggyu pushed his chair back and bowed deeply._

_Xioumin’s eyebrows furrowed instantly. “Do you understand what’s going on here, you brat?”_

_Sunggyu sat down with a heavy sigh and laid his head on the table for a few seconds before raising it again._

_“Hyung, really, I’m so sorry for the trouble we’ve caused.” He widened his eyes as far as he could, injecting a rawness to his words so that he could seem more honest. These were the times being the youngest in the family had its advantages. How many times had he acted cute to get out of trouble? “I really didn’t want to cause you any trouble, hyung. Really!”_

_Xioumin scoffed. “It took four men to drag you away from the door. You’re telling me that wasn’t on purpose?”_

_Sunggyu sighed exaggeratedly and did a mock pout. “Ah hyung. What else was I supposed to do? I needed to show the public that I’m a good protective leader. I can’t just be shown as a leader who’s happy his dongsaeng is being carted to jail! I even had to touch the faggot’s hand!”_

_Xioumin frowned. “So you’re on our side?”_

_“Of course,” Sunggyu said decisively. “I’m so thankful you’ve helped me get rid of Sungjong from the team at least. Though it’s a shame Howon had to go too. He was a good dancer.”_

_Xioumin pursed his lips, contemplating hard about Sunggyu’s words. But Sunggyu kept smiling at him, nothing but the perfect picture of innocence -_

 

 

“So since then, I kept in touch with him,” Sunggyu said. “Staying friendly and obedient, and giving him far too many compliments than he deserve.”

“But why?” Woohyun asked, scatching the back of his head. “Why go through all that effort just to be friendly with that monster.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Sunggyu asked. “I’m going to use Myungsoo’s camera, hide it, speak to Xioumin, and get a confession out of him that we can show at court.”

It seemed easy enough in his head but the members’ faces paled instantly.

“Hyung! You can’t!” Woohyun yelled.

“It’s too dangerous!” Sungyeol said, lunging forward to hug Sunggyu’s shoulders in a way that would have been touching if Sunggyu didn’t feel as though he was being half strangled. “Hyung what if he arrests you for spying? You can’t!”

“There’s no better idea, is there?” Sunggyu said. “This is the practical option. I’m doing it this afternoon. All of you can wait till I get home okay?”

They didn’t like the idea. But Sunggyu had no choice.

The maknae needed to be saved.

And who better to save the youngest, than the oldest?

* * *

 

He made his way to Xioumin’s police station easily enough, shrouded in a tattered hoodie and a mask and sunglasses that seemed to completely cover his face. No one recognised him on the public transport and not even the policeman who showed him to Xioumin’s office seemed to have a clue.

Sunggyu wondered at the butterflies in his stomach. He’d never felt so nervous. Not even when auditioning for SM or that first debut stage they did. The stage had always been his second home after all.

But now. Everything rested on this. Everything.

He sat on the sofa, scrambling to take the camera out of his pocket and taping it to the underside of the coffee table in front of them. He made sure it was recording before covering it with his woolly scarf so that the only thing visible through the scarf’s holes was the camera lens. Sunggyu bit his lips, hastily trying to rearrange the scarf so that it looked like he had purposefully thrown the scarf on the table.

“Sunggyu!” The office door opened and Xioumin strode into his room. He beamed to see Sunggyu and opened his arms wide.

Sunggyu stretched his lips into a smile and bowed deeply before being embraced tight into a hug. He ignored the roll of his stomach at the feel of an enemy being so close, focusing instead on slightly pouting his lips. “Ah hyung, I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to see me! You’re so busy all the time!”

Xioumin laughed heartily and manoeuvred Sunggyu to sit down on the sofa. Sunggyu quickly sat on the left so that the camera’s full focus would be on Xioumin.

“I’ve got time for my favourite dongsaeng,” Xioumin said, picking up the bottle of wine Sunggyu brought for him and checking its brand. His expression turned serious. “Though Sunggyu, you really do need to step it up. What happened to that lead you were following on how the big lipped boy knows where the faggot is hiding?”

Sunggyu sighed and shook his head regrettably. “Sorry hyung, Dongwoo’s just useless. He has no idea about anything.” He reached forward and clasped Xioumin’s hand, staring right into the man’s eyes. “But I promise, hyung, I’ll keep trying. I wish I could work even a fraction of how well you do.”

Xioumin nodded slowly. “This sort of skill takes time, Sunggyu-ah. You can’t just suddenly expect to be good at it.”

Sunggyu sighed again and looked down, as though he didn’t want Xioumin to see the sheer disappointment in his face. It worked as Xioumin clamped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.

“Dont be too disappointed. You’re the one who told me about them being in the Gwangmyeong region.”

“But I couldn’t find more details for you, hyung. That’s why you’re still searching.”

Xioumin shrugged. “It’s only a matter of time.”

Sunggyu pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “To think a faggot’s been on my team for this many years. Ugh, it makes me sick to even think of it. And if you, hyung, didn’t come in to charge him with the hacking, he’d still be on the team.”

Xioumin grinned and leaned closer to Sunggyu. “Well you’ve got your SM CEO to thank for that.”

Sunggyu purposefully furrowed his eyebrows. “Ah, what do you mean Hyung?”

“Parksoo’s the one who put me on the case,” Xioumin said nonchalantly, as he poured alcohol into two cups. “He gave me a nice bonus if I could fit up the faggot on your team.”

Sunggyu opened his mouth and widened his eyes in an expression of admiration. “Wow hyung, you must’ve had to work hard to find something that’d fit.”

“It was easy,” Xioumin smiled, patting Sunggyu’s shoulder. “You just put a laptop into his room and control the hacking from here.”

Sunggyu lowered his voice, giggling as he stumbled out the sentence. “Hyung, can faggots even hack?”

Xioumin burst into laughter and patted Sunggyu’s knee. “What do you think, Sunggyu-ah? They can’t even do their nails properly.”

Sunggyu felt almost nauseous as he imitated the laughter and made jokes with Xioumin. His tongue felt hot as though he was literally spewing acid about Sungjong behind his back.

“We just need to wait for the courtdate, huh hyung?” Sunggyu said. “Then the faggot can go behind bars forever.”

Xioumin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I might have some fun with him first actually. You know, Sunggyu-ah, there’s nothing more sweeter than the sound of a faggot screaming when you pull off their fingernail.”

Bile hit the back of Sunggyu’s throat and he tried not to throw away the man’s hand resting on his knee. “You sound like you’ve done this before, hyung.”

“I don’t even know how many I’ve fitted up,” Xioumin said silkily. “Maybe you can come along, Sunggyu-ah. When I have my session with Sungjong.”

Sunggyu forced a bright smile. “Could I, hyung? I have so much I need to take out on the brat. He’s given me too much headaches.”

Xioumin smiled an almost fatherlike smile and Sunggyu got up swiftly. His skin crawled to even be near this revolting creature.

“I need to go now, hyung,” Sunggyu said, bowing repeatedly. “We’ve got a dance practice.”

“Do well!” Xioumin said, starting to look slightly tipsy from the alcohol.

Sunggyu picked up the scarf, at the same time, subtly ripping the tape holding the camera to the table. He put his scarf under his arm, praying that the scarf completely shrouded the camera. His heart stopped as Xioumin’s eyes focused on the bundle Sunggyu held.

“Goodbye,” was all Xioumin said and Sunggyu breathed off a short sigh of relief.

“Enjoy the wine, hyung!” Sunggyu said, and he raced out of the station as though the entire police force were on his heels.

* * *

 

An hour later, he was hammering on the dorm’s door and hurrying in as Myungsoo opened the door. He found all four of them clustered in the hall with their knees to their chests.

“How’d did go?” Woohyun asked breathlessly.

Sunggyu looked around at the other members’ expectant faces and held up the camera he had tightly gripped in his coat pocket. “I’ve got his confession on here! Completely! We just need to get it on a USB stick.”

They exploded into cheers and Sunggyu found himself being squeezed into tight hugs and getting pats on his back. But he couldn’t smile. Not until they got Sungjong permanently cleared of all charges, and not until he was sure that the public would be behind them.

He felt a pang in his heart at the thought of Sungjong. So many wanted to hurt to sweet boy, and Sunggyu felt almost breathless with his need to protect the maknae. He wished Sungjong was here now, just so he could hug the youngest and shield him from the evils with the like of Xioumin.

As if in answer, his phone rang and Sunggyu hastened to answer it as the name “Xioumin flashed across the phone screen. 

“Quiet!” Sunggyu roared and waited for silence before putting the phone to his ear. “Hyung?”

Heavy breathing greeted him and Sunggyu felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. “Hyung?”

“You know,” Xioumin’s voice was a husky whisper, “I really liked you.”

Sunggyu’s heart dropped. “Hyung, I don’t understand – “

“I watched the office’s CCTV you miserable cockroach,” Xioumin said in a growl. “I saw how you recorded everything. Very smart.”

Sunggyu licked his suddenly dry lips. “Hyung – “

“You won’t get that camera or USB stick anywhere near the courtroom,” Xioumin said quietly, and somehow that was even more terrifying than if he’d shouted. “All your computers are being watched and anything you upload onto the internet will be destroyed. When you go for your performance next week, you’ll have a squadron of police watching your every move so don’t even think about passing the USB stick to someone else. Anyone you do give the USB or camera to will be brought in.”

“You can’t do this,” Sunggyu said, horrified to hear a catch in his voice. “You can’t. Sungjong’s innocent, you monster.”

“What a clever little boy you are, Sunggyu-ah,” the repressed anger was masked with a silly tone that send shivers down Sunggyu’s back. “You remind me a lot of myself actually...But I don’t like being lied to and played with. After the faggot, I’m coming after you myself. I can’t wait to hear you scream when I flay the skin off your back, when I burn your lying tongue right out of your mouth – “

Sunggyu threw the phone away, not reacting when it crashed against the opposite wall. He turned to the other members, hating the looks of worry that had replaced their previously bright faces.

“Hyung?” Dongwoo came close to him and clasped his hand. “Hyung, you’re shaking.”

Sunggyu couldn’t speak against the fear that choked his throat. He looked down, taking comfort in the way the members wrapped themselves around him in a warm huddle.

“What do we do, hyung?” Woohyun asked.

Sunggyu wished he had an answer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please comment! It seriously motivates me to write the next chapter faster! =)
> 
> Next chapter: Hoya: Danger


	12. Hoya

 

Hoya sometimes wondered at how he and Sungjong could have been so lucky.

They’d been living there for two and a half weeks now, taking great care in ensuring that not a single soul knew about their existence in the house. Since it was a semi-detached house, it was important to keep their voices down so that the neighbours couldn’t hear. They stayed to the far end of the house, venturing into the rooms connected to the neighbour’s house only when they had too. Staying away from windows was another huge factor, since they couldn’t pull the curtains in fear of looking too suspicious.

The hardest part was getting enough food. Grandma’s pension was enough to cover expenses for herself only. And feeding two extra mouths was hard. They coped for a couple of days before Grandma got out her box of jewels and put her coat on to go to the local jewellers. Hoya had tried to stop her, promising to get by with a slice of bread but she refused to hear of it, and drove away in her car. Since then, she stubbornly made hearty meals for him and Sungjong each night.

“You’re growing boys,” she said in her usual sharp voice, “you need to eat and recover. Pay me back once you clear your names of being filthy criminals.”

Hoya wished he could simply transfer all the money in his account to her. But that would have brought the police swarming in the area. It had already been hard enough sending a picture of him and Sungjong to a random fan’s address. They had combed through the photo for hours, making sure that there wasn’t anything that could tip the police off. It had been worth it though – to watch the charity show broadcast and see the members’ relieved faces. And no doubt, the picture would have reached his parents too.

On the brighter side, his arm had been getting better - though he was forced to keeping it in a cast to make sure the wound heals fine. It was frustrating not to be able to fully practice his dancing, but at the same time, he was just grateful that his arm was going to be fine.

Just the fact that he and Sungjong were living comfortably in a warm house, away from the tiny hole under the bridge full of mould and dirt...Hoya sometimes woke up from nightmares that he was back there, with a bleeding arm and pain that flared so intensely that he wished he were dead.  

Trust Sungjong, Hoya though with a smile, to find someone willing to house two grown men on the run.

But then again, Grandma had taken a true shine to Sungjong. She barely ever said it, but it was there in the way she insisted on combing his hair in the morning, fussing over his clothes...and there was a real worry in her eyes each time the court date is brought up, a worry Hoya knew would be reflected in his own eyes.

In different circumstances, Hoya didn’t think he’d like Grandma. She wasn’t warm like his own grandmother, her words too stern and glare too harsh. And her distaste for kpop didn’t help make her more endearing.

“You’re just upset that she doesn’t like your dancing,” Sungjong said with a giggle.

“No.” Hoya glared. “Though the fact that she doesn’t like my dancing just shows how little she knows.”

“Your dancing does look aggressive sometimes,” Sungjong said, hiding his laughter behind his hand.

“That makes my dancing more charming,” Hoya scowled. “And I can’t believe she called me a pervert! Why did you even show her that youtube clip?”

Sungjong was laughing so hard that he was almost slipping off the kitchen chair. “She...haha....her face when you tore off your shirt and started hip thrusting...haha – oof!”

Hoya shoved the younger boy, who collapsed to the kitchen floor in a giggling pile. He had to smile to see the maknae looking so carefree. Even the impeding court date – just a week away - didn’t seem to dampen his good mood these days.

The kitchen door opened and Grandma stepped in. “Boys, your group is performing now.”

Hoya raced Sungjong to the living room. It was a cosy room, especially at night since the curtains were drawn and they could switch on the warm lights. Above the mantelpiece hung a picture of Grandma’s late husband, a handsome man in his thirties dressed in a military uniform. Hoya had once asked her about him, but her silence and the sorrow in her eyes stopped him from asking again.

Sungjong sat in front of the tv, a wide smile spreading across his face to see the other members. They were at the Seoul’s music awards night, ready to receive “Best dressed” if Hoya remembered correctly.

The group was performing “Attack”, and Hoya could see where Dongwoo had changed the choreography to make it more impressive with just five members. His limbs itched to dance too, but the tinge of pain in his arm reminded him not just yet.

“They look good!” Sungjong said, nodding his head to the rhythm. “Right Grandma?”

Grandma took her seat in the old armchair. “They look like flailing beetles. But then, what do I know of the dance trends these days...”

Sungjong laughed and pulled Hoya to sit down beside him. Hoya stared at the tv screen. The members dancing was good, but there was an obvious strain on their faces. Sunggyu’s eyes were tired, Dongwoo’s smile had lost its brightness, Woohyun’s glare was too real, Sungyeol’s face seemed haunted and Myungsoo seemed to be using L as his continuous shield. No doubt the courtdate was just as firmly fixed in their minds.

As he watched, he noticed the fans’ excited cries change slowly. Hoya frowned. It wasn’t the usual fanchant. The fans were singing a song, drowning out the sound system. A song different to “Attack” but with a new sweeter melody –

> _“I know it’s hard,_
> 
> _It feels like the world is crumbling down,_
> 
> _But I’m right here beside you,_
> 
> _So my love smile, please”_

The fans were singing “Smile”.

Hoya bit his lip, tears unexpectedly springing to his eyes at the memory of the song they’d been so excited to introduce. Next to him, Sungjong’s breath hitched.

> _I won’t let go of your hand,_
> 
> _I won’t leave you behind,_
> 
> _So my love, don’t frown so hard,_
> 
> _Just smile, please smile"_

The other members stopped performing, their eyes wide as they stared at the Inspirits in the crowd. The camera panned towards to crowd too, where fans held up identical large boards with lit up writing. “Infinite, please smile truly once again. Sungjong will be fine.”

The camera panned back to the Infinite members, along the way, garnering some reaction shots of various celebrities with shocked or amazed faces. Eventually the camera ended on the members’ faces. Woohyun was already sobbing, trying to sing along. Dongwoo was back hugging Woohyun, a wide smile engulfing his face. Myungsoo and Sungyeol were openly crying too but they tried to sing along. Sunggyu had turned completely away from the camera, his shoulders shaking.

Hoya released a deep breath, amazement welling up in him –

_Knock knock_

Hoya stopped breathing, praying that he had misheard, but Sungjong’s horrified face told him he hadn’t.  

“Upstairs,” Grandma said, throwing her knitting to one side. “Just like we prepared. Go!”

Hoya grabbed Sungjong’s wrist, towing him along as he raced to the stairs. His heart hammered against his rib cage. No one had visited Grandma at all since they’ve been there, and no one had any reason to, according to the old lady. Who was knocking?

He and Sungjong ran into the master bedroom. They headed to the large cupboard, opening the door and getting in. Hoya sat himself the corner of the cupboard before pulling Sungjong into his lap, careful to avoid his injured arm. They upended the pile of folded clothes next to them and covered themselves messily. Chest heaving, Hoya pulled the cupboard door close, shrouding them in darkness. He hugged Sungjong tight to his chest as loud voices from downstairs reached his ears.

A man’s spoke gruffly. “Listen here, lady! Your next door neighbours say that they heard male voices through the walls. And that you’ve been buying more food than usual.”

“My appetite has increased,” Grandma said sharply. “So what? And I like watching dramas! That’s probably where those interfering busybodies heard it!”

“I’m sorry ma’am, but we have a warrant here to check.” A new male voice entered the conversation, the speaker sounding older.  

“I’m not hiding criminals in my house!” Grandma said shrilly. “But you’re welcome to check if you want! Honestly!”

Sungjong was trembling, and Hoya himself couldn’t stop his harsh breathing. Fear gripped his heart tight. They had been careful not to leave traces of their presence, but their plates of food in the kitchen were still there, and surely, the police would question why Grandma was sewing male clothes?

Hoya bit his lip hard, almost drawing blood. What should he do? Should they find a better place to hide? Maybe under the bed? He stiffened and clamped a hand over his mouth as the bedroom door creaked open and the sound of heavy footsteps echoed.

He heard the policeman rifle through the curtains and pull back the bedsheets. There was a loud screech as the bed was moved so that the policeman could check under the bed.

The footsteps came closer to the cupboard and Hoya clutched at Sungjong’s arm, sure that he was leaving bruises with the force was using but he couldn’t help it. The police can’t find them. He couldn’t let Sungjong fall into Xioumin’s hands.

The cupboard’s door open, light streaming in. Hoya held his breath, praying that the policeman wouldn’t mess with the pile of clothes in the cupboard’s corner. His hopes were dashed as the pile of clothes on top of him and Sungjong were pulled to the floor.

Blinking past the sudden light, Hoya stared at the policeman. An old man, like Grandma probably in his late sixties, and wearing a uniform too tight for him. The man’s eyes were wide, and Hoya could almost understand how surprising it was to find two young men in a cupboard.

They stared at each other for a second that felt like a lifetime. Hoya opened his mouth – _to beg? to plead?_ – but no words would come out, and he sat frozen like a stone statue, wishing that some sort of idea would come to mind.

The policeman’s eyes softened and he leaned forward. Hoya tensed but the policeman simply ruffled Sungjong’s hair and nodded to Hoya before placing the clothes back on them. Hoya didn’t breathe until after the cupboard door closed. Voices reached their ears again, coming from downstairs.

“There’s nobody upstairs, sir. I checked everywhere.”

“You see! I told you there’s no one in this house!”

“Fine! We’re going, old lady. Have a good night.”

The front door slammed close and Hoya finally relaxed his muscles. Sungjong went limp in his grasp and fell against his chest, both of them breathing heavily as though they had just finished a race. They stayed in the cupboard until Grandma came to check on them, taking a moment to appreciate not just their luck, but the kindness of some people.

* * *

 

The courtdate finally came, despite Hoya willing it to stay away. He woke up with butterflies in his stomach, finding Sungjong already smartly dressed in a suit.

“Grandma fitted it to my size,” Sungjong said, smoothing out the wrinkles. “It used to be her husband’s.”

Hoya took a deep breath and threw his quilt off. It took an hour for him to get ready, his hand shaking each time the mental picture of Sungjong being dragged away in cuffs came to mind. Grandma had fitted him another one of her husband’s suit, though he noticed with a flicker of amusement that it didn’t have the same neat embroidery as Sungjong’s did.

“This is favouritism,” Hoya said jokingly at the kitchen table, pointing at the frayed threads of his sleeve.

Grandma sniffed, combing Sungjong’s hair carefully to one side. She herself was dressed in a smart black blazer. “Nonsense. I don’t have favourites.”

“Then why don’t you comb my hair?” Hoya asked, dragging a hand through his hair to make it messy.

Grandma shook her head sternly. “Do your own hair, you silly boy. You’re the hyung, aren’t you?”

Sungjong pulled his tongue at Hoya, a small smirk tugging the corner of his mouth, and Hoya found himself smiling back. A rush of affection for the never smiling old woman welled up in him. He was going to miss her once everything was over.

They made their way to the courtroom by car, with Grandma driving and Hoya and Sungjong sitting in the back, pretending to sleep so that passing cars couldn’t see their faces. The traffic was slow though, and as much as Hoya didn’t want to get there, he began to worry as the time ticked by.

“We’re going to be late,” he said.

“By half an hour at most,” Grandma declared.

“Look like we’ll be late by two hours though,” Hoya frowned. The sick feeling in his stomach didn’t help. He felt as though he would throw up from anxiety. A hand slid into his and clasped it tightly, and Hoya fought back the tears as he looked at Sungjong. The maknae was breathing deeply, staying calm and composed.

Grandma switched gears and Hoya cried out as the car began speeding up. She swerved the car in and out of gaps, skilfully gaining ground and pushing ahead. Hoya clung to his seatbelt, wincing each time she did a dangerous turn.

“Ugh,” Hoya groaned. “I’m going to throw up.”

“Get anything on the backseat and I’ll make you scrub it, boy!”

They made it to the courtroom half an hour late, just like Grandma said.

“Where do I park?” Grandma asked.

Hoya replied, certain of the answer, “By the fans.”

He could see through the windows, a large congregation of journalists and reporters clustered around the entrance of the courtroom, but just next to them were the Inspirits, waving their flags.

Grandma parked and Hoya took a deep breath before getting out. The fans gasped and Hoya was instantly bombarded with loud screams of their names. Hoya bowed repeatedly, pulling Sungjong along behind him as Grandma led the way. They walked through the fans easily as the fans parted.

“Oppa! How is your arm?”

“Sungjong! What do we do?”

“It’ll all be okay oppa!”

Hoya didn’t trust himself to speak, another wave of nausea hitting him at the sight of the police guarding the courtroom door. He recognised one of them as the policeman who had seen him and Sungjong in Grandma’s house. He tried to smile but the dread overwhelming him was too much.

Reporters began shouting questions at them as they walked through, cameras clicking frantically. Hoya simply ignored them and walked through the courtroom doors, nodding curtly at the familiar looking policeman.

It was a normal courtroom, was Hoya’s first impression. Rows for supporters and opposers to sit on. A judge at the head with the jury before them. A hushes silence fell as they entered the room, everyone staring with their mouths open. Hoya squeezed Sungjong’s hand, praying that it wouldn’t be for the last time, then let it go as officer ran to cuff Sungjong.

Hoya watched as Sungjong was brought to the accused stand, feeling disconnected as he walked down the pathways between the seat rows. Grandma had taken a seat at the back, but Hoya knew where his place should be and his heart jumped to the see his members at the front row. He speedwalked forward and almost ran to join them, gripping Sungyeol’s hand tightly and being hugged by Myungsoo. Sunggyu nodded at him with a small smile, as if to say “You’ve done well”. But Dongwoo and Woohyun were nowhere to be seen.

Looking behind him, he saw his parents and Sungjong’s parents sitting together. Hoya could only nod to his father, and he thought something like pride flicker through his father’s eyes. Sungjong’s mother was crying, but she managed to bow slightly to Hoya amidst her tears.

There were others sitting in support for Sungjong. Hoya saw all their managers, most of their parents, other kpop idols – Sistar, f(X), BTS, Shinee, Teen top - , some presenters –Hyungdon was there looking very solemn, the Running Man cast, and – Hoya gasped – all the Shinhwa members.

“How’s it going?” Hoya asked Sungyeol under his breath.

“That Xioumin is a bastard,” Sungyeol whispered. “He’s just made a speech completely ruining Sungjong’s character. But we’ve got a back up plan. Woohyun hyung and Dongwoo hyung are bringing a USB – “

He stopped talking as the judge – a typical old man with a wig – spoke loudly. “We will continue the session. Will the accused speak?”

Sungjong stood up from his bench and took a deep breath.

Just as that moment, Hoya made eye contact with the man sitting next to the prosecutor. It was Xioumin, Hoya realised. The officer who had ordered for Sungjong’s arrest in the first place. The man smirked at him and Hoya shivered at the malice that glittered in the man’s eyes.

It was the look of a predator.

And Hoya had no doubt that Infinite was the prey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I need a lot of motivation so please comment! =) I reread the story and am feeling sort of embarrassed at how strange the plot became halfway through. Seriously, huge apologies for the lack of research! Please pretend that this is Infinite in an alternate universe lol! xxx  
> Next chapter: Woohyun - Failure


	13. Woohyun

**The night before the court case:**

“Are you sure this will work?” Woohyun asked.

Sunggyu rolled his eyes. “Do I look like a fortune teller to you?”

“It is our best plan so far,” Myungsoo cut in. “At least, since those jerks ruined all other alternatives.”

Woohyun nodded, thinking back ~

_Less than a week ago, they’d gone to the concert and sang, rewarded so heartily with the fans’ love, but hadn’t been given any chance whatsoever to transfer the USB stick containing the video to someone else._

_They had debated beforehand as to whether they should bring the USB stick with them or not. The problem was whether the police would search them, and if they did and if they found the USB, all the evidence against Xioumin would be destroyed. Sungyeol had solved the problem by copying and pasting the video onto another USB stick. They hid the 2 nd one in the cereal box and brought the 1st one with them, stitched into the lining of Myungsoo’s jacket._

_Woohyun had hoped that they’d be able to slip the stick to their managers, but Geonam and Jungryoul hadn’t even been allowed near them, let alone drive them. They went to the concert in the police’s car and was monitored even as they got changed in the dressing room. Woohyun saw the whispers and glances from the other celebrities, but no one questioned the increased police guard around them, presumably too intimidated to._

_At some point, Dongwoo suggested just throwing the stick out to one of the fans in the audience. Surely the fan would then upload it online. But Woohyun shut it down instantly. He couldn’t risk putting an Inspirit in danger. Who knew what Xioumin could do to them?_

_So they came back home, happy from the fans’ gesture and singing, but in dejected spirits, knowing that there wouldn’t be another opportunity to leave the house until the courtdate. Food would be delivered at the door every morning, along with an officer, from one of the three police cars always stationed outside their house, to do a head count and make sure that no one had gone missing._

_Myungsoo had opened the front door and his horrified gasp had Woohyun racing inside. He’d stumbled back to find the whole house looking as though a cyclone had gone through it. The sofas were overturned and torn to shreds. The drawers had all been ransacked with items littering the floor. The wardrobe had been pushed down, clothes strewn everywhere, laptops broken, plates smashed, beds and pillows slashed._

_And just on the floor was the 2 nd USB, now in tiny broken pieces._

_Woohyun felt the familiar curl of anger rise within him. He stormed back outside, ready to give the loitering policemen a piece of his mind, when Sunggyu dragged him back inside the house, locking the front door behind them. It felt as though they’d re-entered prison._

_“Don’t Woohyun,” Sunggyu sighed, looking more tired than Woohyun could ever remember seeing him. “Just don’t.”_

_“They can’t do this to us,” Woohyun said, hating the way his voice almost breaks. “They just can’t.”_

_“They can and they are,” Sunggyu said grimly. He turned to face the other members who were in a state of shock, staring at their ruined belongings. “Lets tidy things up as much as we can and go to sleep. It’s been a long night.”_

_Woohyun could almost feel the strain on the whole group. The air was tight, as thought the next word spoken would slice the metaphorical tightrope and bring everyone crashing down. He exchanged a meaningful glance with Sunggyu and spoke quietly._

_“Guys, come on. Think of Jongie. We need to be strong to support him.”_

_To his relief, the members’ backs stiffened and they stood straighter._

_“Yeah, that’s right,” Sungyeol said, with a fake grin - and Woohyun knew it was fake because Sungyeol’s gums stayed hidden. “We’ve still got – “_

_Sunggyu moved like lightning, hastening to cover Sungyeol’s mouth. Sungyeol stopped talking, his eyes wide and questioning._

_“Not one more word,” Sunggyu said. “Everyone split up. Look for cameras or listening devices hidden in the house. Now.”_

_Woohyun’s eyes widened as he realised what Sunggyu meant and he rushed to help. It felt almost as though they were in a dreamworld – in a Korean crime drama – having to look for spying gadgets. But Sunggyu was right, and they found three small cameras attached to the rooms’ corners, and two listening devices._

_They congregated in the bathroom, Sungyeol and Woohyun sitting next to each other on the bath's edge, Dongwoo leaning against the sink and Sunggyu and Myungsoo against the door. For a long time, no one spoke, afraid that the next word would be intercepted. Dongwoo did another check for the tenth time before flashing a thumbs up._

_“Okay,” Sunggyu said shakily. “We’re all tired. Let’s just go to bed for now. Myungsoo, the USB. Slip it to Woohyun. No one talks about the USB or points to it at all. Woohyunnie, you look after it. Okay?”_

_Warmth surged through Woohyun at the obvious trust in Sunggyu’s voice and he nodded firmly._

_“I’ll keep it safe,” Woohyun said. It was after all, the only evidence so far that could get Sungjong off the hook. A picture of the maknae flashed through Woohyun’s mind, angrily banging the car’s window and storming out, tired of his hyungs teasing._

_Woohyun smiled to himself softly. He couldn’t wait to tease Sungjong again. He’d give Sungjong hell once the maknae found himself a new boyfriend._

_He went to bed that night with the USB stick tucked into the side of his sock, and a knife under his pillow._

_~_

A loud knocking interrupted Woohyun’s musings. He jerked upright from Dongwoo’s shoulder. All five of them were clustered in the bathroom again, going through the final plans for the court hearing. They quickly rushed out of the bathroom and into the hallway.

Sunggyu hesitated before opening the front door.

“Hello boys,” Xioumin’s smirk had somehow became more terrifying.

Sunggyu tried to slam the door shut but Xioumin’s foot blocked the door from closing fully. He shouldered his way in, looming over Sunggyu as the leader backed away.

“What?” Xioumin thundered. “Why so upset to see your dear hyungnim, Gyu-ah?”

Woohyun rushed forward to get in between them, especially since Sunggyu had paled considerably, but Myungsoo beat him to it.

“Get out of here!” Myungsoo screamed as he shoved the older man. Xioumin stumbled backwards but easily regained his footing and backhanded Myungsoo. Sungyeol caught the younger boy before he hit the floor in a daze.

Dongwoo and Woohyun hurried to stand in front of Xioumin, blocking the other members from his view.

“What do you want?” Dongwoo’s face terrifying in itself as he glared at Xioumin.

The officer laughed, a manic laugh that grated on Woohyun’s nerves. “I’m tired of games. Just give me the USB now, and I’ll be on my way.”

“We don’t have anything,” Woohyun said, hyperaware of the slightly bulge at the side of his sock. Sweat beaded down his forehead. If Xioumin noticed that it was too hot to be wearing socks and insisted on looking. “You destroyed it, remember?”

Xioumin raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seriously expect me to belief that, do you? With a leader as smart as the one you’ve got – “ He gestured at Sunggyu who had stood himself in front of Myungsoo and Sungyeol – “you’re definitely hiding the 2nd copy somewhere, aren’t you?”

Woohyun said nothing, choosing to let his glare speak for him. It had been a good choice to wear a sleeveless shirt. His muscles showed the threat he could pose. Xioumin was a large and muscular man, but even he wouldn’t be able to take on Woohyun, Dongwoo and Sungyeol together.

“We’ll see you in the courtroom tomorrow,” Dongwoo said, his voice as cold as ice. “If you don’t leave now, we’ll scream so loud that the whole neighbourhood comes running around. You want all this to be kept discreet, don’t you.”

Xioumin looked as though he would swear at them, but he swallowed his words and with another smug smirk, strode back outside. “You better take a good long look at your Jongie tomorrow. I’m not sure if he’ll still have his face after I’m through with him.”

Woohyun thought he’d throw up and he sank to the floor after Dongwoo slammed the door shut. A glance at the others showed their nervousness too.

Sunggyu took a deep breath, trying to mask the shakiness in his voice as he said, “All right. Let’s go through the plan again.”

 

* * *

 

**Courtday**

They were bustled into the courtroom by the police, Xioumin watching over them carefully. Woohyun and Dongwoo hung back as the police checked the other members thoroughly, inside their pockets, wallets, shoes, socks, mouths. Woohyun and Dongwoo simultaneously flinched and collapsed onto their knees as the policemen neared them.

“Toilets,” Woohyun wailed dramatically as he clutched his stomach. “Argh, I think I’ve got food poisoning! We need the toilets quickly!”

The policemen grumbled as expected, and Woohyun could have sworn that one of them said “Fucking brats” under his breaths, but four policemen escorted him and Dongwoo to the bathroom.

“You’re not going to come in, are you?” Woohyun said as the policemen made to follow them inside. “What are you going to do? Listen outside the cubicles?”

One of the policemen, a kind looking older man whose uniform was far too tight for him, made a calming gesture to the others. “Just let them go. We’ll wait here. They’re not criminals.”

“Be out in five minutes,” one of them snapped, shoving them in and slamming the bathroom door shut.

Woohyun and Dongwoo straightened up, checking to make sure that the cubicles were empty first before quietly going to the grate embedded in the ceiling. It was a simple one, nailed to the air vent. In  a swift move, Dongwoo got onto Woohyun’s shoulders, taking out the screwdriver from his pocket. The grate was removed in less than 30 seconds.

“Quick, quick,” Woohyun hissed, hearing the restless murmurs of the policemen outside.

Dongwoo went into the dark tunnel first before hauling Woohyun up after him. Woohyun closed the grate again and crawled after Dongwoo. The air vents were claustrophobically tiny, and at some corners Woohyun felt as though he couldn’t breathe. He wondered what it would be like to be get stuck in these small tunnels in the ceiling. To slowly rot away, unable to move.

Dongwoo had memorised the map of the air vents, so Woohyun could only hope that they were heading in the right direction to above the courtroom. 

“Are you sure you’re going in the right direction?” Woohyun whispered.

“Yeah,” Dongwoo whispered back, but his voice shook.

Woohyun grinned slightly to himself and whispered, “Did you see that?”

“What?” Dongwoo’s breathing quickened.

“Nothing...I thought I saw a pair of red eyes in front – “

Woohyun figured he probably deserved the kick Dongwoo aimed at him. They crawled for another minute or so before Dongwoo finally stopped. Woohyun managed to sidle up next to him and he peered through the grate, through which light was shining.

He looked down onto the courtroom, immediately picking out the other members sat in a row at the front.

Woohyun recognised the lawyer defending Sungjong from the picture on the business card Sunggyu carried.  She was stood up, just like the prosecutor, a well built man with an arrogant smirk. She was speaking, and Woohyun was surprised to be able to hear every word clearly. Sound apparently carried well when eavesdropping from an airvent.

“These claims against Mr Lee Sungjong are completely untrue. There are too many variables here that doesn’t correlate against Mr Lee’s character and schedule – “

The prosecutor cut her off, “Mr Lee proved his character the moment he ran away. That – was our first admission of guilt. The next – “

“Objection!” she raised her voice. “Mr Lee did not set out to run away, but was pushed to do so by his members. In a state of shock, Mr Lee could only follow his older brothers’ wishes. That he ran away is irrelevant.”

The prosecutor snorted, and Woohyun’s fist curled with the desire to punch the man, “And how, Miss Lawyer, are you going to prove that Mr Lee Sungjong is not responsible for the hacking? We have three primary evidence sources directly stating that the source of the hacking came from his laptop in his room while he was at home alone. You have no solid defence, unless you were going to pout your pretty lips and hope to sway the judge over?”

Woohyun saw the defending lawyer’s hands curl into fists at the sexist remark. God, he could never be a lawyer. The urge to hit the opposing side would be too strong, and even now, Woohyun itched to wipe the prosecutor’s smug smirk off his face.

“Your prosecution is not solid either,” she said coldly.

“All I have said,” the prosecutor declared, “can be verified through CCTV and through looking at his laptop history, where his character can he has shown himself to be both perverted and predatory, having gone through gay porn sites – “

“Unless you mean to accuse most of the Korean population for being perverted and predatory simply by looking at porn, this cannot be used to determine Sungjong’s character.”

“ – a significant amount of the pictures and videos on his laptop are of his members, some shirtless, indicating a complex – “

“Your Facebook cover picture is one of your and your friends shirtless at the beach. Do you perhaps have a complex?”

The prosecutor glared at the defending lawyer. “I’m not a homosexual.”

Woohyun gritted his teeth and murmured to Dongwoo. “God, I really want to hit him.”

Dongwoo merely nodded before nudging at Woohyun. “Look!”

A policeman was walking at the side of the courtroom.. He reached Xioumin and whispered something to his ear. Fury and slight panic flashed across Xioumin’s face.

“I think,” Woohyun whispered, “he’s just realised that we’re gone.”

There was a laptop just before the judge, projecting the files uploaded into it, onto a large white screen at the front. If he could just drop down now and insert the USB, the video would play on the white screen and everyone would know the truth.

Woohyun was just about to comment to Dongwoo about maybe doing it now, when Hoya and Sungjong entered. Though Woohyun winced to see Sungjong roughly dragged to the podium of the accused, he couldn’t help but feel relieved to see how well the two runaways looked. He looked at the old woman who had entered with them, a rush of gratefulness towards her, sweeping through him.

Sungjong was questioned by the prosecutor, and despite the leading questions and abruptly harsh tone the prosecutor used, the maknae answered calmly and steadily with quietly defiant eyes. His gaze never wavered and there was no fear as the prosecutor listed out his possible jail sentences.

“I did not do the hacking,” Sungjong said firmly.

“So the only thing you will admit to is that you are a homosexual?” the prosecutor barked.

Sungjong tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t see how that is relevant here.”

“You hacked into governmental data to bring down the newspaper company that exposed you,” the prosecutor said.

The defending lawyer raised in her seat. “Objection your honour, this motive is clearly fabricated with no evidence – “

“Objection overruled,” the judge, an old man in a wig, said, loudly slamming his hammer.”

Woohyun felt sweat bead his forehead. This was why Sunggyu had gone to such extreme lengths to get the evidence needed for Sungjong. The judge was clearly biased. Sungjong seemed to realise it too, cause his calm mask flickered for a second as he glanced at his crying mother.

“Now?” Woohyun muttered to Dongwoo.

The other boy nodded, his face set seriously. Woohyun’s heart clenched. It had been too long since he’d seen Dongwoo properly laugh the sunshine beaming laugh of his.

He couldn’t wait until they could all gather together and laugh properly.

As Infinite together, once again.

He wrenched the grate off, causing a loud screeching sound that had everyone in the courtroom’s heads turning to look up. Not wasting any time, Woohyun dropped down. It wasn’t too big a drop, but it was enough to jar his knees badly as he fell just in front of the judge. Still, it was too far from the laptop and Woohyun could already see the policemen racing towards him as he fished out the USB from his sock.

Sunggyu had vaulted over the railing between the audience and lawyer’s table, coming to stand just by the laptop. Sungyeol and Myungsoo were wrestling the police away again, while Hoya tripped two up with his stretched out leg. Sunggyu held his hand up, motioning for Woohyun to throw him the USB stick. Woohyun drew his arm back, ready to lob –

A tight grip fastened around his hand, making him grunt out in pain. Xioumin squeezed tighter, forcefully prying the USB from him.

“No!” Woohyun cried out, but it was too late.

With a smug smirk, Xioumin crumpled the USB in his hand.

The broken, useless pieces fell to the floor at the same time as Woohyun’s knees.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone's lovely comments! I really appreciate them! Please keep commenting your thoughts! ^^
> 
> Next chapter: Dongwoo: The end.


	14. Dongwoo

Woohyun let out a mock roar of fury and threw himself at Xioumin’s legs, entangling them and causing the detective to fall back.

Dongwoo took a deep breath and braced himself.  

It was all going to plan.

He jumped from the vent, pain running through his legs as he crashed into a chair underneath. Wasting no time, Dongwoo took out the original USB from under his watch and threw it to Sunggyu. The leader caught it and fumbled to insert it into the laptop.

“Dongwoo hyung!” Sungyeol yelled, grabbing hold of two policemen at once. “Xioumin!”

Xioumin seemed to have realised that the USB he had crushed was a dupe. He kicked Woohyun off and raced towards Sunggyu. Dongwoo moved fast, grabbing the chair next to him and skidding it across the floor to collide with Xioumin’s legs. The man toppled over but was on his feet in an instant.

The burst of static, then clear melodic voice that filled the courtroom froze Xioumin completely. Dongwoo huffed out a sigh of relief.

> _“To think a faggot’s been on my team for this many years. Ugh, it makes me sick to even think of it. And if you, hyung, didn’t come in to charge him with the hacking, he’d still be on the team.”_

Xioumin’s face was thunderstruck as the video began playing in the screen and audio filled the room. The policemen dragging Sunggyu away released him, their faces confused. Sunggyu sniffed and brushed down his blazer, uncaring of the eyes that landed on him. After all, why was Infinite’s leader speaking like that with the detective in charge to bring Sungjong down?

Dongwoo heard a gasp from behind. Sungjong on the accused stand looked at though his heart had been torn out of his chest. Dongwoo winced. Of course. Jongie and Hoya hadn’t known the plan.

> _“Well you’ve got your SM CEO to thank for that.”_
> 
> _“Ah, what do you mean Hyung?”_
> 
> _“Parksoo’s the one who put me on the case. He gave me a nice bonus if I could fit up the faggot on your team.”_

Hushed murmurs arose, people switching to staring at Xioumin instead. The journalists were scribbling furiously and cameras flashed again and again. Xioumin spluttered, glancing desperately at the judge, whose face was set seriously.

Dongwoo fought back a smile. Evil always got what was coming back to them, one way or another.

> _“Wow hyung, you must’ve had to work hard to find something that’d fit.”_
> 
> _“It was easy. You just put a laptop into his room and control the hacking from here.”_
> 
> _“Hyung, can faggots even hack?”_
> 
> _“What do you think, Sunggyu-ah? They can’t even do their nails properly.”_

That’s it, Dongwoo thought and he felt almost faint with the relief that overcame him. He was worried that any moment now, someone was going to wake him up and reality would hit him with jarring force and dread. But the pain in his legs and sweat running down his neck was real, just as this was real.

It was over. No one could convict Sungjong now.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Myungsoo excitedly jumping up and down with Sungyeol as Hoya looked on with a smug grin.  

> _“We just need to wait for the courtdate, huh hyung? Then the faggot can go behind bars forever.”_
> 
> _“I might have some fun with him first actually. You know, Sunggyu-ah, there’s nothing more sweeter than the sound of a faggot screaming when you pull off their fingernails.”_
> 
> _“You sound like you’ve done this before, hyung.”_
> 
> _“I don’t even know how many I’ve fitted up. Maybe you can come along, Sunggyu-ah. When I have my session with Sungjong.”_
> 
> _“Could I, hyung? I have so much I need to take out on the brat. He’s given me too much headaches.”_

Dongwoo laughed, feeling as though a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. And the final nail in the coffin went in. Xioumin was not just guilty of setting up Sungjong, but also god knows how many others, and they’d just proved it through this video.

And he had to give it to Sunggyu. Though seeing the leader act cute was incredibly cringe worthy, Sunggyu had acted out his role of devoted hoobae to perfection.

The screen turned black. The video ended.

An expectant silence had descended on the courtroom. The prosecutor kept opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish, while their defending lawyer was stood up with a beaming smile on her face. The audience’s faces were either set in mournful defeat or stern anger. And, Dongwoo saw with approval, most of the other idols were pissed.

Sunggyu laughed, breaking the silence. He turned to face Xioumin and scrunched up his face in an aegyo expression.

“Sorry hyung,” Sunggyu smirked, “I think we’ll have to cancel our next appointment.”

Dongwoo almost couldn’t blame Xioumin for his scream of absolute fury as he charged at Sunggyu. He would have probably punched Sunggyu too if Sunggyu had spoken to him like that, with condescension dripping from each word.

Sunggyu laughed, and he was still laughing as Xioumin grabbed his collar and pushed him against the wall, raising a hand to strike. But Dongwoo was quicker and he threw Xioumin off Sunggyu before landing a right hook that knocked the man clean out.

Dongwoo stared down at the unconscious figure with narrowed eyes, and when he lifted his gaze at the approaching policemen, they backed off slightly.

The judge banged his hammer against the table hard, his voice booming. “Lee Sungjong, cleared of all charges! Arrest Officer Xioumin now! My god, what is going on here!”

Dongwoo watched everything happen in slow motion. Sunggyu running to hug a weeping Sungjong, being joined by Woohyun. Sungyeol, Myungsoo and Hoya rushing over, and Myungsoo grabbing his arm to bring him along, and they collided into a tight group hug, all seven of them, finally together. The tears wouldn’t stop streaming from Dongwoo’s eyes as he clutched Hoya and Sungjong as tightly as he could before allowing their parents to take them off him.

Time passed by as though he was in a dream. They went out to greet the Inspirits, who screamed and cheered as they bowed together as a group of seven. At some point, the fans started singing again and Dongwoo cried so hard, he needed Woohyun to support him. He kept hearing cameras clicked and had a feeling he knew what tomorrow’s newspapers pictures would be.

Dongwoo – and from what he could see, the other members as well – kept receiving pats on the backs. Sungjong’s mother hugged them so tightly that Dongwoo almost couldn’t breathe. The other idols kept hugging them too and Dongwoo laughed his usual laugh as he patted their behinds in reply.

Amidst all the celebratory chaos, Dongwoo kept a constant eye on Sungjong. He almost couldn’t believe that they had their maknae back. Sungjong stuck close with his parents and Myungsoo, though Dongwoo saw him constantly glancing back at them. Sungjong had stopped crying, his face schooled into a neutral, grown up look that suited him well.

“Hyung, look.”

Hoya’s voice sounded close to his ear and Dongwoo turned to see where Hoya was pointing. It was towards the old woman who had housed Hoya and Sungjong. She was speaking to a policeman – the same officer who had made sure no policemen went into the toilets with them, Dongwoo realised with a start. It was a nice sight with the old lady smiling tentatively and the officer continuously smoothing back his hair nervously. Something was obviously blooming.

Hoya grinned. “That police officer is the one who let me and Sungjong go when he found us in the closet.”

Dongwoo squinted at him. “You’re in the closet too?”

Hoya spluttered. “No! I meant we were hiding in the cupboard and – “

“Coming out of the cupboard?” Dongwoo laughed as Hoya aimed a kick at him.

He couldn’t stop laughing, even as journalists kept crowding around them. At that moment, it didn’t feel as though he could ever be sad again. He saw Sunggyu frown at him from beside Hyungdon, and giddily realised that he was probably entering his more annoying hyper state.

A hand gripped his shoulder and Dongwoo turned to see Shinhwa’s Kim Dongwan smiling at him.

“Ah sunbaenim,” Dongwoo bowed. “Dongwan sunbaenim. Haha, we have almost the same names. Dongwan. Dongwoo. Haha. Ah, sorry sunbaenim.”

Dongwan laughed too and clapped his shoulder. “Good work today.”

Before Dongwoo could say his "thank you"s, Dongwan left, hurrying after the other Shinhwa members. Dongwoo watched them go. Infinite should last at least at long as Shinhwa do, he thought determinedly. Infinite and Shinhwa had their similarities, Dongwoo mused to himself, especially with regards to zombie maknaes.

They eventually got into their van, their managers batting the reporters to the side. Waving again to the fans, they settled themselves in. Warmth filled Dongwoo to see all the seats full, especially with Sungjong  sitting in between Myungsoo and Hoya, safe and sound. Everything was as it should be.

He wanted to stay awake to cherish the moment longer, but as Sungyeol’s head fell onto his shoulder, and Woohyun started snoring in his lap, sleep overtook him and his eyelids closed.

For the first time in a long time –

his dreams were sweet.

* * *

“I can’t believe I’ve got the part!” Sungyeol shrieked and jump and down, prompting Dongwoo to laugh again.

“Yah! Come here!” Dongwoo patted the sleeping bag next to his. “When does the drama start?”

“Next week,” Sungyeol said with a huge gummy grin. “I’m going to be one of the main characters!”

Dongwoo smiled at his eagerness. It was about time Sungyeol got something good. Out of all of them, he was the one always hoping to make it big as an actor. But when the calls came in, it had been Myungsoo, Hoya and Woohyun chosen the most. Dongwoo ruffled Sungyeol’s hair fondly. The younger kid hadn’t shown it much, but it must have hurt.

“Do your best!” Dongwoo roared. “With all your power!”

“Alright, alright! Calm down.” Sunggyu walked into the hall, dragging his mattress behind him. “Guys, time for bed!”

After the courthouse, they had came straight back to their house – their first house, the one they had dreamt and trained in together. Woohyun had wanted to book a hotel as a treat, but Myungsoo had insisted on spending one last night in this house. Purely for the memories.

It was hard to resist Myungsoo’s pout and here they were, making a circle with their sleeping materials in the centre of the living room. Woohyun squeezed in between Dongwoo and Sunggyu, Minding his arm, Hoya carefully laid himself down next to Sungjong, who was next to Myungsoo and Sungyeol.

“This is nice!” Dongwoo whooped and clapped his hands. “Yes!”

“Are you even going to sleep tonight?” Woohyun muttered. “I’m shattered.”

Myungsoo got up to turn off the lights and they were quiet for a few minutes, until Sungjong spoke.

“Hyung,” Sungjong whispered, “I’m so grateful for everything you’ve all done. Really, I can’t – “

The hall exploded into groans.

“Too cheesy, too chessy,” Wohyun whined, pulling his blankets up to cover his face.

“Sungjong, you’re not allowed to be sickening like this!” Sungyeol yelled.

Sungjong said nothing, though Dongwoo twisted around in his blankets and could see the maknae hide a smile.

“Guys, just a heads up for our forthcoming timetable,” Sunggyu said sternly. “We – “

“Need a holiday,” Hoya said with a yawn. “I can’t do anything with my arm anyway.”

“Holiday,” Sunggyu nodded. “Three weeks to spend with our families and recover. After that, we’re on Happy Together.”

“All of us?” Dongwoo questioned.

“Jaesuk hyung called me,” Sunggyu explained. “He says that we can have a special episode. Where we tell about everything that’s happened so far.”

They mumbled their approval, prompting Sunggyu to continue.

“Sungjong,” Sunggyu called out.

“Yes, hyung?”

“Jinho hyung called me. He said that you could have a spot on Crime Scene as a regular if you want.”

Dongwoo’s eyes widened. This was big news. He grinned as the others cheered and patted Sungjong on the back.

“And after our holiday,” Sunggyu continued, “we’ll do a few more week promoting our singles before bowing out and having another long holiday.”

“Sounds good to me,” Dongwoo said, leaning over Woohyun to fist bump Sunggyu.

“Now, sleep,” Sunggyu said and he lied down.

They didn’t talk about Xioumin or SM’s CEO, who from what Dongwoo heard on the news, was under investigation. They didn’t talk about how hard it had been for them, or how their bodies were drained of energy and full of lasting bruises and humiliation. They didn’t talk about how scared they all had been or how sad it had been to make new enemies with people they had thought as old friends.

Because it simply didn’t matter anymore.

Dongwoo listened to his members’ steady breathing, pinching himself to stay awake just a little longer so that he could savour this delicious, sweet moment. If a comet crashed onto their house that night, Dongwoo decided, he wouldn’t mind. It was worth it. It was all worth it for this peaceful moment –

_Ring, ring, ring._

“Oh, the phone.” Myungsoo pointed out. “Sunggyu hyung, it’s your phone.”

Sunggyu frowned and fished out his phone. His eyes widened as he saw the number on the screen and he sat up.

“Jungyeop sasagnim!” he answered. “How was your surgery?”

Dongwoo sat up too, and so did the other members according to the loud rustling.

“It went well?” Sunggyu sighed. “Ah, that’s a relief, hyungnim. Yeah, we’re okay. Did we have any problems? Well - ”

The moon chose that second to cast its light through the window, illuminating the entire group. Dongwoo’s cheeks ached with the force of his grin as Sunggyu smiled at them, his eyes glinting with the determination and promise for the future.

“No problems, hyungnim...We’re all going to be just fine.”

 

 

Okay. Wow. This has been the longest fanfic I’ve ever written. I hope you’ve all enjoyed it. I’m really going to miss everyone’s comments and all the reviewers. Thanks to everyone who kept encouraging me!

This fic was going to take a dark turn halfway through (Sungjong and Hoya gets found out by Xioumin, and Infinite have to work extra hard and fast to save their maknae who’s being tortured, and at some point, Sunggyu had to whip Sungjong to make Xioumin trust him so he could get the recording), but anyway, I’m glad I went for the less painful path. ;)

I was inspired to make this fic by watching the Korean movie “The Attorney” – serious a great film! Give it a try!

I’d really appreciate it if you could leave your final thoughts!

Thank you again! And may Infinite last forever! =)

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first Infinite fanfic and I hope that you all enjoy it! I plan to update with a new chapter every week, possibly more if I am motivated enough!  
> There won't really be any pairings in this story though there will be hints about certain couples. It will mainly focus on Infinite's friendship and brothership.  
> I really love reviews and would absolutely love it if you could leave me any opinions about this story.  
> Thank you!  
> Disclaimer: All of this story is completely fictionalised, with the slight or very much villanisation of certain people that is not meant to reflect their true character at all.


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